Catalog - Books

Bordiga, Amadeo: Murdering the Dead: Amadeo Bordiga on Capitalism and Other Catastrophes, $9
“Earthquakes in India and El Salvador; a ferry sinks off the Greek island of Paros; an airliner bursts into flame at Singapore Airport; drought in East Africa; a train and its passengers burn in a tunnel in the Austrian alps; a petrol tanker explodes in Nigeria; workers die in a factory fire in South Africa; floods in England are hailed as the harbingers of global climatic change.
“Capitalism produces disasters almost as quickly as it produces commodities. We could follow a similar trail of the dead anytime, any place, anywhere. That is why the following texts by Amadeo Bordiga are, sadly, still relevant forty years or more after they were first written.”

Brinton, Maurice: The Bolsheviks & Workers’ Control, 1971-1921, $5
“The events described in this pamphlet show that in relation to industrial policy there is a clear-cut and incontrovertible link between what happened under Lenin and Trotsky and the later practices of Stalinism. We know that many on the revolutionary left will find this statement hard to swallow. We are convinced however that any honest reading of the facts cannot but lead to this conclusion.” Here are those facts, in detail.

Christie, Stuart: We, the Anarchists! A Study of the Iberian Anarchist Federation (FAI) 1927-1937, $14
“Christie has done a great service in producing this study of the FAI, one of the most famous and most misrepresented anarchist organisations of all time. This book is essential for refuting these misrepresentations and for understanding the successes and failure of revolutionary anarchism in Spain during the 1930s. […] Christie’s book is essential reading for all anarchists who not only want to understand history, but also to learn from it.” (From a flag.blackened.net review by Anarcho) Many non-anarchists will appreciate this rich and detailed history, as well.

Dauvé, Gilles and François Martin: The Eclipse and the Re-emergence of the Communist Movement, $7
“Communism is not a programme one puts into practice or makes others put into practice, but a social movement. Those who develop and defend theoretical communism do not have any advantages over others except a clearer understanding and a more rigorous expression; like all others who are not especially concerned by theory, they feel the practical need for communism. They have no privilege whatsoever; they do not carry the knowledge that will set the revolution in motion; but, on the other hand, they have no fear of becoming ‘leaders’ by explaining their positions. The communist revolution, like every other revolution, is the product of real needs and living conditions. The problem is to shed light on an existing historical movement.
“Communism is not an ideal to be realized: it already exists, not as a society, but as an effort, a task to prepare for. It is the movement which tries to abolish the conditions of life determined by wage-labour, and it will abolish them by revolution.” First published in English in 1973, ths is a classic text of authentic communism, miles away from the the fantasies of Leninist party-builders.

Debord, Guy: Society of the Spectacle, $8
Don’t believe the hype. This book may take a little effort, but it is not an impossible read. It is, however, one of the most important subversive writings of the Twentieth Century. Debord spells out how and why our lives under modern capitalism are controlled by an independent flow of images. He then completely reformulates the revolutionary project for our era. This is a book to be studied, then ruthlessly applied.

Gregoire, Roger and Fredy Perlman: Worker-Student Action Committees: France, May ‘68, $5
An account of the May ’68 events in France from two participants. This remains a tremendously important summary of what happened, as well as analysis. Radicals today have much to learn from Gregoire and Perlman’s description of the role of left-wing parties and unions, in holding back and finally undermining large-scale social revolt.

Landstreicher, Wolfi (trans.): Fire to the Powder Keg: War and Social Guerrilla Struggle in Iraq, $5
"Fire to the Powder Keg investigates the social nature of the guerrilla struggle against the forces of Western capital and against the tragic conditions imposed on the Iraqi population through years of bombings, embargoes and repression. Fire to the Powder Keg challenges its readers to demonstrate that they are not allies of their masters, but rather accomplices of their Iraqi brothers and sisters who have not been crushed by the indiscriminate, terroristic violence of the invasion and occupation of their home. Now more than ever, the dimensions of social revolution are global." 116 page softcover book.

Perlman, Fredy: Against His-story, Against Leviathan!, $9
A crucial text for all those questioning progress, technology and civilization. Perlman’s epic narrative discusses the birth and rapid spread of civilization, highlighting the tremendous human and environmental toll of the civilized life. The various ways in which “Leviathan” has been resisted are also integral to Perlman’s book. “Every time I re-read it I find something new in it - it’s just sparkling with insights.” (John Moore)

Perlman, Lorraine: Having Little, Being Much: A Chronicle of Fredy Perlman’s Fifty Years, $7
From the person who knew him best, a biography of one of the most important anti-authoritarian thinkers of the late Twentieth Century. This book provides great insight on the life and writings of Perlman, a true radical and visionary.

Simon, Henri: Poland 1980-82: Class Struggle and the Crisis of Capital, $5
Ken Knabb’s Gateway to the Vast Realms: Recommended Readings from Literature to Revolution suggests this title on the early ‘80s political/economic crisis in Poland. We do too.