‘Anarchy – A Graphic Guide’ (1987) – A Book in Five Minutes, no.21
Channel: ramblinactivist
Date: 2022-11-17

Ramblinactivist’s Videos, 2022/37, 17th November 2022.

Published thirty-five years ago, this book is a simple, comprehensive, diverse, and more importantly, fun!, exploration of anarchism. Based on many different anarchist texts, it’s one of the best introductions to the history and theory and anarchism I’ve found. It avoids the often dry, academic prose of other guides for an involving narrative and attractive graphics.

What it seeks to demonstrate is not so much what anarchism ‘is’, but the broad field of anarchist ideas that have existed for centuries.

I think this book is one of the most effective introductions to the history of anarchist ideas because – literally – it paints pictures rather than making arguments. It allows people to find their place in the pantheon of anarchist thought, rather than telling them what to think.

For the referenced text and an audio podcast of this post, goto:
http://www.fraw.org.uk/blog/reviews/021/index.shtml

You can find more of these reviews in ‘A Book in Five Minutes’ here:
http://www.fraw.org.uk/blog/reviews/index.shtml

Finally, it would really help to promote this work if you could follow, subscribe, or like my social media presence – which can be accessed from the link above. In today’s digital analytics popularity contest, all that button-pressing means something in this messed-up world.

Chapters:
00:00 Opening titles.
00:32 Book review.
06:07 A note about the new ‘Afterword’ section.
07:07 Afterword on the book.
12:02 Closing credits.

#anarchism #bookreview #lifestyle #anarchy #politics #politicalhistory