What are the 'must read' anarchist books?

[benhur]

Suggestions, anyone? Preferably online video or audio, which I don't have to buy.;) Please don't mention Bakunin, I'd like to read contemporary thinkers, it'll be easy to relate to what they say.

[Sasha]

since in my opinion most anarchist thinkers belong on the same (usefull) history shelf as marxists i recomend to dive in the more contempary Autonomism (most self described anarchist activists in the western world are i.m.o. more autonomists) and read the book i recomend in my signature.

[The Idler]

An Anarchist FAQ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Anarchist_FAQ).

[F9]

ABC of Anarchism by Alexander Berkman(Definitely)
Conquest of Bread by Kropotkin
And i really liked Malatestas book, but i am not sure how they publish in english, on greek they mainly publish parts or whatever they think, so probably titles are different!
Read those two and then just make a search for Malatesta!
You can find all those books in ebooks, right in here in the Anarchists group!

[#FF0000]

Suggestions, anyone? Preferably online video or audio, which I don't have to buy.;) Please don't mention Bakunin, I'd like to read contemporary thinkers, it'll be easy to relate to what they say.

Ah, contemporary, eh? Well then, I'd just go with the Anarchist FAQ and check the bibliography for further reading. Otherwise, The Conquest Of Bread is a fantastic one, and anything by Malatesta is good as well. The ABC of Anarchism is helpful too, and an entertaining read as well.

[Black Sheep]

A simple search on the anarchist FAQ, the forum's FAQ and the anarchist group's stickies and threads will give you the answer.

[Invincible Summer]

"ABC of Anarchism" by Alexander Berkman - It's like Shachtman's "The Fight for Socialism," except better written.


You can read it in its whole, as well as other significant Anarchist works, here: http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/bright/berkman/comanarchism/whatis_toc.html. (http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/bright/berkman/comanarchism/whatis_toc.html)

Also, on Youtube, Mr1001nights has lots of good videos from an Anarcho-Syndicalist viewpoint.

[Decolonize The Left]

What is Anarchism? by Alexander Berkman
Anarchism by Emma Goldman

- August

[StalinFanboy]

Basically what everyone else has said like 392482309 times.

The stuff put out by CrimeThInc are fun reads, and provide an interesting analysis of Anarchism. Just be sure to not to take everything they write as pure theory. Some of what they write is absolutely retarded.

[ZeroNowhere]

Well, the Anarchist FAQ is worth reading, if you take it with a pinch of salt. I believe that I had promised some guy with Proudhon quote in his name for a few criticisms of the AFAQ, so I'll link that here once I'm done.
Then again, the concept of a 'must read' anarchist book is somewhat ironic. :D

Edit: Oh yeah, I forgot. Here (http://www.revleft.com/vb/critique-anarchist-faq-t100349/index.html).

[Potemkin]

I would also agree with many of these suggestions. As for contemporary thinkers, I enjoy Graham Purchase (if you can find his stuff), Murray Bookchin, and James Herod (www.jamesherod.info).

[Circle E Society]

Ward Churchill is brilliant and his books are good resources IE "On the Justice of Roosting Chickens" has an anthology of every military action the US has ever taken.

[Delirium]

How Non-violence Protects the State - peter gelderloos

pretty good, easy read

AK press puts out good stuff too.

[PRC-UTE]

Daniel Guerin's anthologies on anarchism would be essential. avail from AK Press if I remember correctly.

Jose Perats (I may have misspelled the surname) wrote the official history of the CNT and the anarchists in the Spanish CW/Revolution. Recommended, but supplement this with a reading of the Friends of Durruti manifesto.

There's plenty of other works such as Guerrilla Extraordinary and I Couldn't Paint Golden Angels, that are worth picking up.

I'd avoid Bookchin. He promotes an obscure, exotic brand of anarchism and presents history selectively to support this interpretation.

I believe the workers press link in my sig sells a few anarchist works, too.

[Die Neue Zeit]

The only anarchist work I've read so far is Bakunin's critique of the German Social-Democratic Workers' Party program of 1870 (the Eisenach Program).

[StalinFanboy]

http://seattle.indymedia.org/en/2009/01/270664.shtml

[Potemkin]

The points about Bookchin are highly debatable. I definitely wouldn't avoid him. Some of his work is controversial, but why would we shy away from controversial authors? Plus, he's contemporary and "Post-Scarcity Anarchism" is a widely read classic.

[Incendiarism]

Just read everything by Peter Kropotkin. Even if you're not an anarchist I think you could enjoy him on some level. As supplementary material, check out anything by Errico Malatesta.

[Black Dagger]

The only anarchist work I've read so far is Bakunin's critique of the German Social-Democratic Workers' Party program of 1870 (the Eisenach Program).

What's your point? :confused:

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benhur, if you're looking for readable anarchist books i would suggest Malatesta - he was not an academic but a propagandist, his work covers a broad cross-section of areas within anarchism is well reasoned and easy to read. Also, it's very easy to find online.