# Top 3-5 Anarchist Books?



## EJO (May 11, 2020)

Hey there! I'm pretty new to learning about this political philosophy. So far, I've read through about half of_ The Conquest of Bread_. I'm wondering if there's any consensus on which anarchists texts are most important/first reads. I know anarchism played a pretty significant role in workers' rights and some other stuff about the Paris commune, but I'd like to be more informed.


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## Older Than Dirt (May 11, 2020)

Here are some of my favorites:

_Living my life_ by Emma Goldman; 
_ABCs of anarchy_ by her BF Alexander Berkman;
_Bakunin_ _on anarchism_ (edited by Sam Dolgoff); 
_The Spanish Anarchists: The Heroic Years 1868-1936_ by Murray Bookchin; 
_We Shall Be All: A History of the Industrial Workers of the World _by Melvyn Dubofsky.


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## EJO (May 11, 2020)

Older Than Dirt said:


> Here are some of my favorites:
> 
> _Living my life_ by Emma Goldman;
> _ABCs of anarchy_ by her BF Alexander Berkman;
> ...


 Thanks! I'll start out with the Emma Goldman one. Her life story looks pretty interesting.


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## Older Than Dirt (May 11, 2020)

A very good book. The Penguin Classics is the one to get if there are other editions.

I hope you get some more answers, especially if anyone can recommend anything written in the last 20-30 years. My list obviously skews pretty early 20th century.

There are of course the Crimethinc kids, but i've never been super-impressed with their work. Gods bless 'em though for doing it.


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## coltsfoot (May 11, 2020)

These might not be first reads but u might like:

_Temporary Autonomous Zones_ by Hakim Bey

_Parable of the Sower/Parable of the Talents_ by Octavia Butler is a classic novel series if your into rad doomy apocalyptic stuff. Definitely an intro into visionary fiction which has a lot of anarchist elements/crossover

_Sabate: Guerrilla Extraordinaire_ by Antonio Tellez is like a wild anarchist action novel but it's actually just a biography and gives good insight into the spanish civil war and that whole era of anarchy

_Open veins of Latin america_ by Eduardo Galeano if your looking for a latin american perspective

_The Coming Insurrection_ by Comite Invisible is too dense for me but it's def considered a classic in some circles


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## MetalBryan (May 12, 2020)

I'm in the less-is-more crowd when it comes to anarchy lit. Zines seem more "boots on the ground" to me, offering less theoretical knowledge. I've always liked the format because it's more accessible to the lay person - written from the perspective of experience instead of extrapolation and they are cheap/free to produce and have grassroots distribution. If there's one I haven't read I print a few copies at work and deposit them in the pop-up free library box in front of my local middle school.

I like this one the best...
https://azinelibrary.org/zines/For-Chaos-For-the-Wild-For-the-Horde-a-goblincore-primer
...but azinelibrary.org has some for every niche. The Ally-Industrial Complex and Direct Action are two topics I'm interested in, for example.

If you can afford to support anarchist bookstores do that first. Great recommendations above. After you target your concerns, scour the zines


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## Older Than Dirt (May 18, 2020)

Here are some places to get started reading, with the wikipedia pages about each author, these are the _classics_ of anarchism, the Berkman book is more or less the same text as _The ABCs of anarchism_ that i mentioned above:

https://libcom.org/files/Ward_-_Anarchy_in_Action_3.pdfhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Ward
https://libcom.org/files/Berkman - What Is Anarchism.pdfhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Berkman
https://libcom.org/files/Emma Goldman- Anarchism and Other Essays.pdfhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Goldman
https://libcom.org/files/Peter Kropotkin- Mutual Aid; A Factor of Evolution.pdfhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Kropotkin
https://libcom.org/files/Bakunin - God and the State.pdfhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Bakunin
https://libcom.org/files/Proudhon - What is Property.pdfhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre-Joseph_Proudhon
See also

https://iww.org/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Workers_of_the_World


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## SeetherSalad79 (May 19, 2020)

A few of my favourites:
Voltairine de Cleyre - Crime and Punishment
Daniel Guerin - No Gods, No Masters
Emma Goldman - Anarchism and Other Essays
Comité Invisible - The Coming Insurrection
Peter Kropotkin - Mutual Aid


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## r3yn (May 20, 2020)

Fight Club.
Ok, maybe that was a joke, but actually it did open my eyes to the ideas of forming autonomous and underground groups, and fighting the corporate / monetary system, back when I was 14. It was the book / movie that set me off on my ideological quest, so it will always have a special place in my head (and maybe heart, too).

Pedagogy of the Oppressed.
Maybe not strictly "anarchist", but definitely within the same radical organizing mindset. Very difficult to "un-learn" what the system of "schooling" has deeply rooted into our brains, but i found it was essential in my mental quest not only to become a more radical teacher (or "guide"), but also in my worldview, personal relationships with fellow oppressed, and dealing with (and subverting) the authority of institutions.


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