Book Thread and Reading Room

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Unlearning: May 7, 2011

kthegreat posted:

So, I was looking to read Keynes and was wondering exactly what things of his should I look into. Should I just read The Economic Consequences of the Peace and The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money?

Tract on Monetary Reform, Treatise on Probability & Essays in Persuasion are all excellent.

Bear in mind there's a fair amount of inconsistency in Keynes as he develops his views, I'd probably recommend reading them in chronological order.

# ? Jul 7, 2011 19:45

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# ? Apr 25, 2024 20:16

prestomagic!: Jul 7, 2011

Junior G-man posted:

We can always put it under the 'intro' literature where Klein etc. reside. It's still a good primer on modern food production chains and the ethics of eating.

On a somewhat related note, I haven't seen anything here on Deep Ecology, which is starting to gain some ground and produce (relatively) interesting and important work, if still lacking a high level of sophistication. Endgame and Deep Green Resistance are both books that get a lot of attention in that milieu, but the only direct experience I have with either is skimming a portion of the latter. Its thought provoking, to say the least, and certainly lays out in plain terms the urgency of confronting ecological catastrophe with more than simple consumer activism.

Also, Heidegger is required reading for insight into cultural studies/literary studies/philosophy, both as background reading for anything produced in those spheres (all of them are influenced by his work post-1927), and in general as he's possibly the most important 'philosopher' to have emerged since Hegel (I see his work on Hegel was recommended already) and his work touches, albeit indirectly, on all aspects of life. He's one of the few philosophers to have actually had commercial success with his magnum opus(his was Being and Time), reaching a much wider audience than is usual. I'd say his Basic Philosophical Writings would be a great place to start.

# ? Jul 8, 2011 23:48

mew force shoelace: Dec 13, 2009; by Ozmaugh

prestomagic! posted:

On a somewhat related note, I haven't seen anything here on Deep Ecology, which is starting to gain some ground and produce (relatively) interesting and important work, if still lacking a high level of sophistication. Endgame and Deep Green Resistance are both books that get a lot of attention in that milieu, but the only direct experience I have with either is skimming a portion of the latter. Its thought provoking, to say the least, and certainly lays out in plain terms the urgency of confronting ecological catastrophe with more than simple consumer activism.

Endgame at least is idiotic. It calls for armed rebellion against technology (using the logic that if invading aliens or something poisoned the percent of water and land our society has everyone would take up arms to fight it).

But that is such a poorly thought out plan, how would that even work? I'm pretty sure the side saying "no don't give up technology" is going to win in a war with people wanting to give up technology even if the movement got huge.

# ? Jul 9, 2011 06:02

prestomagic!: Jul 7, 2011

mew force shoelace posted:

Endgame at least is idiotic. It calls for armed rebellion against technology (using the logic that if invading aliens or something poisoned the percent of water and land our society has everyone would take up arms to fight it).

But that is such a poorly thought out plan, how would that even work? I'm pretty sure the side saying "no don't give up technology" is going to win in a war with people wanting to give up technology even if the movement got huge.

Yeah, I'm aware. And don't get me wrong, I'm not an advocate of deep ecology. However, I think that they're similar in many respects to the Luddites, and I don't mean that in a purely negative way. I feel that they may be expressing, albeit in a crude manner, something crucial to the dynamics of the way that 21st century social struggles will play themselves out at a theoretical and practical level. That's the reason I think their work calls for attention. I admire the urgency with which they address the ecological issues we face and their attempt to formulate that at the theoretical level, even if I don't admire the result of that attempt.

# ? Jul 9, 2011 06:13

Junior G-man: Sep 15, 2004; Wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma

Just finishing Griftopia, it's definitely a worthy addition to the reading list.

Has anyone read Fukuyama's Origin of the Political Order yet? I just ordered it for my summer reading.

# ? Jul 14, 2011 12:55

Peel: Dec 3, 2007

I'm reading Delusions of Gender and can confirm that it is excellent.

For a new recommendation, I recently finished The People of the Abyss by Jack London. Its subject matter of poverty in turn of the century London is somewhat outdated, but there is a fundamental humanity and a lot that still resonates, both in contemporary reality and as a warning for where contemporary reality might go as the austerity project continues.

# ? Jul 17, 2011 13:49

Z-Magic: Feb 19, 2011; They talk about the people and the proletariat, I talk about the suckers and the mugs - it's the same thing. They have their five-year plans, so have I.

I'm currently reading Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism and would be grateful is someone could tell me if Suicide by Emile Durkheim is worth reading and if so how readable it is.

# ? Jul 17, 2011 21:41

Xandu: Feb 19, 2006; It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.

I haven't read the Durkheim book, but I can tell you that Robert Pape's analysis in Dying to Win is so flawed as to be worthless. This and this (it's about his second book, but it's basically the same poo poo) give decent summaries of the problems with his theory.

He relies on sloppy statistics and an absurdly broad definition of occupation to support his theory that suicide bombing is a to military occupation, even though many suicide bombings he includes in the book weren't in response to what most people would consider an occupation. Then he fails to examine occupations where the resistance didn't use suicide bombings as a tactic, which would have allowed him to determine if there was perhaps a secondary cause.

# ? Jul 17, 2011 21:53

Z-Magic: Feb 19, 2011; They talk about the people and the proletariat, I talk about the suckers and the mugs - it's the same thing. They have their five-year plans, so have I.

Xandu posted:

I haven't read the Durkheim book, but I can tell you that Robert Pape's analysis in Dying to Win is so flawed as to be worthless. This and this (it's about his second book, but it's basically the same poo poo) give decent summaries of the problems with his theory.

He relies on sloppy statistics and an absurdly broad definition of occupation to support his theory that suicide bombing is a to military occupation, even though many suicide bombings he includes in the book weren't in response to what most people would consider an occupation. Then he fails to examine occupations where the resistance didn't use suicide bombings as a tactic, which would have allowed him to determine if there was perhaps a secondary cause.

I agree that so far it's not very good and he does seem to have a habit of manipulating data and definitions so that they supports his conclusion rather than the other way round as well as using far too specific samples form which he draws far too large conclusions (http://www.princeton.edu/~kramsay/Site/research_files/rejoinder3.pdf), but the bit in which he mentioned Durkheim's categorisation of different types of suicides (egoistic, fatalistic, altruistic and anomic) sounded pretty interesting.

Z-Magic fucked around with this message at 23:08 on Jul 17, 2011

# ? Jul 17, 2011 22:58

delicious beef: Feb 5, 2006

Z-Magic posted:

I'm currently reading Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism and would be grateful is someone could tell me if Suicide by Emile Durkheim is worth reading and if so how readable it is.

Suicide is really good, the first bit is a bit slow going because it's just a large amount of stats as arguments against various reasons that people might commit suicide but after that I found it fairly easy to read.

# ? Jul 17, 2011 23:07

Finktron: Nov 25, 2008; by Fistgrrl

Z-Magic posted:

I agree that so far it's not very good and he does seem to have a habit of manipulating data and definitions so that they supports his conclusion rather than the other way round as well as using far too specific samples form which he draws far too large conclusions (http://www.princeton.edu/~kramsay/Site/research_files/rejoinder3.pdf), but the bit in which he mentioned Durkheim's categorisation of different types of suicides (egoistic, fatalistic, altruistic and anomic) sounded pretty interesting.

Durkheim's study "Suicide" has some deep methodological flaws, but his view of the different forms of social attachment in tandem with his theories of solidarity in society (mechanical and organic) are worth reviewing. It is a shame Google Books doesn't have a preview for "The Emergence of Sociological Theory" by Turner et al. If your local library has a copy it would be a good introduction to Durkheim and to the unfolding of sociological theory in general.

# ? Jul 17, 2011 23:56

Ravel: Dec 23, 2009; There's no story

Can anybody recommend what would be the best place to start off with conservative ideas. Something which might explain the basics of people like Burke, Hobbes, Smith, Hayek, Friedman, Locke, Paine, Rousseau, De Tocqueville without me diving into their works individually!

# ? Jul 18, 2011 01:49

prestomagic!: Jul 7, 2011

Ravel posted:

Can anybody recommend what would be the best place to start off with conservative ideas. Something which might explain the basics of people like Burke, Hobbes, Smith, Hayek, Friedman, Locke, Paine, Rousseau, De Tocqueville without me diving into their works individually!

Well, those individuals are liberal theorists. But more to the point, I'll say that I've never found, in all my years of studying philosophy, that there's really an effective "primer" for theoretical works, single ones or large bodies/periods of work. Its just not the way its done. There are "history of philosopy" texts which will include a very rough outline of a many thinkers ideas, but this approach lacks the depth required to really understand the ideas in question (I'm thinking here of Fred Copleston's History of Philosophy series). On the other hand, there are the more explicitly academic texts regarding history of philosophy, but you really need to have some familiarity with the thinker in question to navigate these tomes (here I'm reminded of reading "Kierkegaard's relation to Hegel, Reconsidered" by Jon Stewart... massive and complex). Finally, there are the companion books, but these can only be read in conjunction with the primary text.

Really, you're better off just exploring the works of enlightenment thinkers if you are interested in their ideas. I'm biased towards that due to my own thinking and from the standpoint of my education, but I'd say you'll come away from the experience much better off than simply reading the bumper sticker version of the thoughts these men held on the world of their day (and make no mistake, we don't live in that world anymore, their thoughts are recognizably antiquated when read in full).

It would be very helpful in making suggestions to you regarding how to proceed if you could explain what it is you are looking to gain from reading these thinkers, what interests you about them, etc.

# ? Jul 18, 2011 05:14

plogo: Jan 20, 2009

Ravel posted:

Can anybody recommend what would be the best place to start off with conservative ideas. Something which might explain the basics of people like Burke, Hobbes, Smith, Hayek, Friedman, Locke, Paine, Rousseau, De Tocqueville without me diving into their works individually!

These two recommendations are not directly answering your request but you might find them interesting none the less.

Liberalism and Empire deals with the apparent philosophical contradiction between the ideas of liberalism and the practice of the British Empire, and tries to argue that, in fact, empire was a natural outcome of liberal thought. Burke, John Stuart Mill and a number of other thinkers are covered in this book. http://www.amazon.com/Liberalism-Empire-Nineteenth-Century-British-Liberal/dp/0226518825

If you have access to jstor this article deals with the place of conservatism in modern historiography: http://www.jstor.org/pss/2167281 (there are a number of other articles on the same topic in that journal as well.)

# ? Jul 18, 2011 05:33

Ravel: Dec 23, 2009; There's no story

prestomagic! posted:

It would be very helpful in making suggestions to you regarding how to proceed if you could explain what it is you are looking to gain from reading these thinkers, what interests you about them, etc.

Oh right, when I did my physics undergraduate degree I was so used to incredibly useful comprehensive textbooks which covered all basic subjects and some remained useful for almost three years. I assumed somebody must have some sort of philosophy equivalent but I checked the reading list for first year undergraduate studies of political science and philosophy and it was all original texts. I was a bit put off since I assume that without an accompanying lecture course I would completely miss historical context and be hopelessly lost due to the density of unfamiliar terms.

I just wanted some basic understanding of the history of political philosophy since I don't know much about it. I'd like to know what motivates the conservative thinkers because I don't really know what conservatism is. I copy/pasted those names from recommendations by a friend of mine who studies International Relations.

plogo posted:

These two recommendations are not directly answering your request but you might find them interesting none the less.

Thanks they do look interesting.

Ravel fucked around with this message at 06:13 on Jul 18, 2011

# ? Jul 18, 2011 06:10

prestomagic!: Jul 7, 2011

Ravel posted:

Oh right, when I did my physics undergraduate degree I was so used to incredibly useful comprehensive textbooks which covered all basic subjects and some remained useful for almost three years. I assumed somebody must have some sort of philosophy equivalent but I checked the reading list for first year undergraduate studies of political science and philosophy and it was all original texts. I was a bit put off since I assume that without an accompanying lecture course I would completely miss historical context and be hopelessly lost due to the density of unfamiliar terms.

Those do exist, but they typically cost as much as buying all of the texts you'd like to read and include only selections from some of the theorists you'd like to study, interspersed between a wide variety of other thinkers from the day that were, let's say, less influential. Basically, they're bullshit. Don't worry about reading the texts without lecture courses, half of the undergrad classes on the enlightenment thinkers rush through those guys so quickly that its almost like you never read them in the first place. Really, reading individual original works on their own will not be a problem if you just put in the work. You'll get an introduction that explains what is going on in the text from a scholar in the field, plenty of footnotes, etc. if you buy a good edition, and the entire internet is at your disposal. All you have to do is put in the work. I'd read them in historically chronological order to get the most sense out of their work (Hobbes first).

If you really want a general history of philosophy book, Fred Copleston's are decent. Also, there's Bertrand Russell's History of Philosophy, which I hear is a pretty mixed bag (lots of folks, myself included, are not fans of the dude).

Ravel posted:

I just wanted some basic understanding of the history of political philosophy since I don't know much about it. I'd like to know what motivates the conservative thinkers because I don't really know what conservatism is. I copy/pasted those names from recommendations by a friend of mine who studies International Relations.

Again, those dead white guys were all liberals (Burke may be considered a "conservative", but he was a classical liberal all the same). Conservatism is not really a philosophy as such, its really more a philosophical mash-up of traditionalism and (in contemporary conditions) populism. If you really want to understand conservatism, I'd look for a sociological text of some kind (which I regret I can not recommend, not knowing of one). That said, I do highly recommend reading these enlightenment figures. They're all quite brilliant.

# ? Jul 19, 2011 07:53

Star: Jul 15, 2005; Guerilla war struggle is a new entertainment.; Fallen Rib

You might want to see if Roger Scruton is anyone who appeals to you. He's written some books on conservatism, such as Meaning of Conservatism and A political philosophy: Arguments for conservatism. Not one of the 'original thinkers' but perhaps it's okey anyway.

# ? Jul 19, 2011 09:22

Myotis: Aug 23, 2006; We have guided missiles and misguided men.

If anyone is interested in the synergy between thermodynamics and economics, I recommend The Entropy Law and the Economic Process by Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen.

This book falls into both environment and economic catagories, as it explores amoung other things the implications of material entropy for economic production, growth and long term sustainability.

[There is also an extensive critique, e.g.

AYRES, R. U. 1999. The second law, the fourth law, recycling and limits to growth. Ecological Economics, 29, 473-483.

CLEVELAND, C. J. & RUTH, M. 1997. When, where, and by how much do biophysical limits constrain the economic process? A survey of Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen's contribution to ecological economics. Ecological Economics, 22, 203-223.]

# ? Jul 19, 2011 09:42

FAT DICK RAY: Aug 21, 2010; So they'd recorded a result from one of the times it worked. It was that recorded result that was displayed at the end of each demo.

I just finished What's the Matter with Kansas by Thomas Frank. I thought it did a good job on how the south, and Kansas in particular, went from early-1900s populist socialism to late-1900s pseudo-populist conservatism. It had less to do with racism and civil rights than I thought it would.

# ? Jul 19, 2011 23:38

G-Hawk: Dec 15, 2003

SATANIC DETERGENT posted:

I just finished What's the Matter with Kansas by Thomas Frank. I thought it did a good job on how the south, and Kansas in particular, went from early-1900s populist socialism to late-1900s pseudo-populist conservatism. It had less to do with racism and civil rights than I thought it would.

I read this a few months back, It is pretty good. Fairly quick and easy read, good up close look at how social conservatism has been used to get people to vote against their economic interests.

I just finished Nixonland by Rick Perlstein, I highly recommend it. It is an overview of American politics and social change during the 60s and early 70s. Nixon is placed as the central figure, but it is really about how and why American society and politics changed during that time period and how that still dominates our politics now.

Which brings me to a question: Does anyone have a recommendation for a book about American politics and the general social atmosphere that covers the 1970s? I'm looking for something similar to Nixonland that covers 1972-1980, or some range similar to or within that, and particularly the 1976 election.

# ? Jul 20, 2011 00:59

Peel: Dec 3, 2007

Enigma of Capital was a good read, thanks thread.

Since it just came up in the socialist techniques thread, does anyone have recommendations for good books on Cuba or the Latin American left more generally? I've read Killing Hope.

# ? Jul 25, 2011 02:34

Authorman: Mar 5, 2007; slamcat

G-Hawk posted:

Which brings me to a question: Does anyone have a recommendation for a book about American politics and the general social atmosphere that covers the 1970s? I'm looking for something similar to Nixonland that covers 1972-1980, or some range similar to or within that, and particularly the 1976 election.

Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 by Hunter S. Thompson might have what you're looking for if you haven't read that already. Despite the name it isn't a completely out there bughunt like Las Vegas is, just a partially out there bughunt with a lot of really good journalism back before fame ate him up. Just a brutal look at some seventies era Democrats and how completely depressing and awful they were. More things change the more they stay the same.

I haven't read it but, Perlstein's earlier book Before the Storm essentially acts as a prequel for Nixonland, detailing the '64 election, Barry Goldwater and the rise of the conservatives. Heard it's good.

# ? Jul 29, 2011 09:27

delicious beef: Feb 5, 2006

I'm a bit late but the Very Short Introduction series by OUP is normally pretty good for giving you a decent sketch of a movement or idea or person etc. Obviously any summary will be flawed but these tend to give a decent overview without oversimplifying.

# ? Jul 29, 2011 11:34

Bar Ran Dun: Jan 22, 2006

I just read "Radical Homemakers" by Shannon Hayes. Anarco-sociolist feminism, that seeks to re-claim and re-define the idea of "homemaker." I can't say I agreed with all it's themes (particularly those regarding healthcare), but it was one hell of a read.

# ? Jul 29, 2011 17:31

foobardog: Apr 19, 2007; There, now I can tell when you're posting.

-- A friend

Authorman posted:

Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 by Hunter S. Thompson might have what you're looking for if you haven't read that already. Despite the name it isn't a completely out there bughunt like Las Vegas is, just a partially out there bughunt with a lot of really good journalism back before fame ate him up. Just a brutal look at some seventies era Democrats and how completely depressing and awful they were. More things change the more they stay the same.

It's been a few years since I've read it, but I have to back this recommendation too. The biggest thing I got out of it from modern eyes is that the democrats were just as bad at political maneuvering then.

# ? Jul 29, 2011 18:17

Wala Mango: Sep 27, 2009; by angerbeet

prestomagic! posted:

On a somewhat related note, I haven't seen anything here on Deep Ecology, which is starting to gain some ground and produce (relatively) interesting and important work, if still lacking a high level of sophistication. Endgame and Deep Green Resistance are both books that get a lot of attention in that milieu, but the only direct experience I have with either is skimming a portion of the latter. Its thought provoking, to say the least, and certainly lays out in plain terms the urgency of confronting ecological catastrophe with more than simple consumer activism.

I think you would enjoy the comparatively shorter Introduction to the Apocalypse. It is an insurrectionary anarchist take on climate change rather than anti-civ/primitivist like Endgame and Deep Green Resistance.

# ? Jul 30, 2011 01:29

Darth Windu: Mar 17, 2009; by Smythe

Are there any books about the efficacy of our welfare state? I've been recommended Regulating the Poor: The Functions of Public Welfare by Francis Piven, but it was by a rabid right-winger so if I am going to read it, I would like to balance it out. Any suggestions? Has anyone ever read that book?

# ? Aug 11, 2011 02:42

BrotherAdso: May 22, 2008; stat rosa pristina nomine
nomina nuda tenemus

G-Hawk posted:

I read this a few months back, It is pretty good. Fairly quick and easy read, good up close look at how social conservatism has been used to get people to vote against their economic interests.

I just finished Nixonland by Rick Perlstein, I highly recommend it. It is an overview of American politics and social change during the 60s and early 70s. Nixon is placed as the central figure, but it is really about how and why American society and politics changed during that time period and how that still dominates our politics now.

Which brings me to a question: Does anyone have a recommendation for a book about American politics and the general social atmosphere that covers the 1970s? I'm looking for something similar to Nixonland that covers 1972-1980, or some range similar to or within that, and particularly the 1976 election.

I just finished Stayin Alive by Jefferson Cowie, it focuses on the death of the labor movement in the late 1960s and the 1970s as an effective and unified force in politics, and the effect of that change on the Democratic party and American political culture.

Really an great read on this topic.

# ? Aug 11, 2011 03:51

Econosaurus: Sep 22, 2008; Successfully predicted nine of the last five recessions

I'm about 100 pages into Debt: The First 5000 Years and it may be one of the best books I've ever read, everybody here should read it.

http://www.amazon.com/Debt-First-5-000-Years/dp/1933633867

# ? Aug 11, 2011 03:54

G-Hawk: Dec 15, 2003

BrotherAdso posted:

I just finished Stayin Alive by Jefferson Cowie, it focuses on the death of the labor movement in the late 1960s and the 1970s as an effective and unified force in politics, and the effect of that change on the Democratic party and American political culture.

Really an great read on this topic.

This sounds great, I'll definitely have to find it. I didn't specifically mention labor but the collapse of labor and the effect that had on the Democratic party is one of the things about the 70s I'd like to know about, so thanks for the recommendation.

# ? Aug 11, 2011 04:29

Sherm Monster: Jul 23, 2005

Econosaurus posted:

I'm about 100 pages into Debt: The First 5000 Years and it may be one of the best books I've ever read, everybody here should read it.

http://www.amazon.com/Debt-First-5-000-Years/dp/1933633867

This is the absolute truth, its been very difficult to put this book down. I've been recommending this one to everyone I know that reads.

# ? Aug 11, 2011 19:19

anabatica: Feb 17, 2006; by angerbutt

Wala Mango posted:

I think you would enjoy the comparatively shorter Introduction to the Apocalypse. It is an insurrectionary anarchist take on climate change rather than anti-civ/primitivist like Endgame and Deep Green Resistance.

This was a really good read, can you recommend any other similar (in length/style) pieces on anarchism?

Note that I'm not the person you recommended this to originally so it doesn't have to be be ecologically-focused.

# ? Aug 11, 2011 19:31

BrotherAdso: May 22, 2008; stat rosa pristina nomine
nomina nuda tenemus

G-Hawk posted:

This sounds great, I'll definitely have to find it. I didn't specifically mention labor but the collapse of labor and the effect that had on the Democratic party is one of the things about the 70s I'd like to know about, so thanks for the recommendation.

You might also enjoy The Consumer's Republic by Elizabeth Cohen, which is mostly about the way mass consumer media and material wealth altered American political culture and approaches from the late 1930s through the 1970s, really fascinating read.

# ? Aug 11, 2011 20:04

Xandu: Feb 19, 2006; It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.

I'm looking for some books on Darfur and Sudan. Anybody read Saviors and Survivors by Mahmood Mamdani or Darfur: A New History of A Long War by Alex de Waal?

Xandu fucked around with this message at 02:05 on Aug 16, 2011

# ? Aug 16, 2011 02:01

Niwrad: Jul 1, 2008

Darth Windu posted:

Are there any books about the efficacy of our welfare state? I've been recommended Regulating the Poor: The Functions of Public Welfare by Francis Piven, but it was by a rabid right-winger so if I am going to read it, I would like to balance it out. Any suggestions? Has anyone ever read that book?

While a rabid right-winger might have recommended it, Piven is pretty far to the left politically.

# ? Aug 16, 2011 21:16

Wala Mango: Sep 27, 2009; by angerbeet

anabatica posted:

This was a really good read, can you recommend any other similar (in length/style) pieces on anarchism?

Note that I'm not the person you recommended this to originally so it doesn't have to be be ecologically-focused.

Of course! So I take it you're interested in poo poo that's fun to read, stylish basically, which is a lot of what anarchist texts are, in affect. It's hard though to recommend some texts because there are thousands that fit the bill. As well, anarchism varies wildly in content and outlook. But, here are some things I've read recently that I enjoy and would recommend:

The Coming Insurrection by the Invisible Committee - A particularly influential book to US anarchists. Written by a bunch of French communinists. Stunning work, along with their others, as well as the works of Tiqqun, who are probably the same people. The Coming Insurrection is more poetic than Tiqqun's work, which I'd say has more useful analysis.

Infinite Strike which is in the context of the October 2010 French strike and blockades.

Before the Big Change by Peter Gelderloos - Short article on climate change. (His book How Nonviolence Protects the State is a good read on the prevalence of nonviolence in US activism especially.)

At Daggars Drawn is an Italian insurrectionist pamphlet written in the late 90's.

Promissory Notes: From Crisis to Commons by Midnight Notes Collective and Friends - Midnight Notes is autonomist Marxist, but this recent piece has the same Grand, Dramatic, State of the Moment feel as the Intro to the Apocalypse text. And European anarchism is very influenced by autonomism.

But browsing these libraries gives you an opportunity to find a topic you're interested in:
Libcom has an extensive library. As the name suggests, it is a libertarian communist site so it is focused on work and anarcho-syndicalism rather than on post-left anarchy (stuff that's popular in the US) and also the insurrectionist tendencies of say Greece in late 2008 and the aggressive Fire to the Prisons.

As well as:
http://theanarchistlibrary.org/
http://zinelibrary.info/
http://www.prole.info/

# ? Aug 16, 2011 22:19

Nckdictator: Sep 8, 2006; Just..someone

I've just started reading Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition

It's really intresting how everyone from the IWW, KKK, Socialists, Christians, William Jennings Bryan, Jack London, Progressives, and racists all supported Prohibition. It would be great if American politics could achive that unity today for a better cause.

# ? Aug 16, 2011 22:19

diphenhydramine: Jun 26, 2011; by Y Kant Ozma Post

Nckdictator posted:

I've just started reading Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition

It's really intresting how everyone from the IWW, KKK, Socialists, Christians, William Jennings Bryan, Jack London, Progressives, and racists all supported Prohibition. It would be great if American politics could achive that unity today for a better cause.

Does that only focus on prohibition in America?

# ? Aug 17, 2011 04:56

anabatica: Feb 17, 2006; by angerbutt

Wala Mango posted:

Of course! So I take it you're interested in poo poo that's fun to read, stylish basically, which is a lot of what anarchist texts are, in affect. It's hard though to recommend some texts because there are thousands that fit the bill. As well, anarchism varies wildly in content and outlook. But, here are some things I've read recently that I enjoy and would recommend:

Awesome, thanks. I did have a look around http://theanarchistlibrary.org/ after reading 'Introduction to the Apocalypse', but most of what I browsed to was either quite dry or obviously written as blog posts by 20 year old American college students. Thus I figured I needed some recommendations.

anabatica fucked around with this message at 19:35 on Aug 17, 2011

# ? Aug 17, 2011 19:33

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# ? Apr 25, 2024 20:16

Nckdictator: Sep 8, 2006; Just..someone

diphenhydramine posted:

Does that only focus on prohibition in America?

Pretty much, I mean, it gave a few sentences so far devoted to prohibition in European nations but it's mainly concentrated on America.

anabatica posted:

Awesome, thanks. I did have a look around http://theanarchistlibrary.org/ after reading 'Introduction to the Apocalypse', but most of what I browsed to was either quite dry or obviously written as blog posts by 20 year old American college students. Thus I figured I needed some recommendations.

Thanks for the link, a few good essay's by/on Tolstoy there.

Nckdictator fucked around with this message at 21:57 on Aug 17, 2011

# ? Aug 17, 2011 21:51

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