Anarchism Reading List

Anarchism is a form of anti-state socialism which first emerged in the 19th century. I’ve composed this reading list on the basis of which books or texts I wish I knew about when first learning about anarchism. I don’t agree with all the texts I list but felt it was important to include texts from traditions within anarchism I don’t like or don’t fully agree with, such as insurrectionist anarchism or David Graeber’s “little a anarchism”, because its important to understand anarchism in all its variety. At the end I’ve listed my personal favorites.

A large number of anarchists texts can be found at Libcom, The Anarchist Library, or the Dwardmac Anarchy Archives. A text is ‘classic’ if it is from the 19th or the early 20th century, and it is ‘modern’ if it is from the late 20th century or the 21st century.

A great (and very long) all round resource on anarchism is The Anarchist FAQ.

Classic Introductions

• Berkman, Alexander – The ABC of Anarchism
• Goldman, Emma – Anarchism: What It Really Stands For (short)
• Malatesta, Errico – Anarchy! (short)
  
• Malatesta, Errico – At the Cafe

Modern Introductions

• Gordon, Uri – Anarchy Alive!
• Graeber, David – Are You An Anarchist? The Answer May Surprise You! (very short)
• Guerin, Daniel – Anarchism: From Theory to Practice
• Milstein, Cindy – Anarchism & Its Aspirations
• Ward, Colin – Anarchy In Action

Classic Anarchist Texts

• Bakunin, Mikhail – God and State (short)
• Bakunin, Mikhail – Bakunin: Selected Texts 1868-1875, ed. Zurbrugg
• Galleani, Luigi – The End of Anarchism (the best historic insurrectionist anarchist text)
• Kropotkin, Peter – The Conquest of Bread
• Kropotkin, Peter – Direct Struggle Against Capital: A Peter Kropotkin Anthology, ed. McKay
• Malatesta, Errico – The Method of Freedom: An Errico Malatesta Reader, ed. Turcato
• Reclus, Elisee – Anarchy, Geography and Modernity: Selected Writings of Elisee Reclus, ed. Clark and Martin
• Rocker, Rudolf – Anarcho-Syndicalism: Theory and Practice
• The Delo Truda Group – The Organizational Platform of the General Union of Anarchists (the founding text of platformism)

Modern Anarchist Texts

• Anarchist Federation of Rio de Janerio – Social Anarchism and Organization (the main overview of especifismo anarchism available in English)
• Bonanno, Alfredo – Armed Joy (one of the main influences on modern insurrectionist anarchism)
• Bookchin, Murray – Post Scarcity Anarchism
• Solidarity Federation – Fighting for Ourselves: Anarcho-Syndicalism and the Class Struggle

Anthologies of Anarchist Primary Sources

• Black Rose Anarchist Federation (ed) – Black Anarchism: A Reader
• Guerin, Daniel (ed) – No Gods, No Masters: An Anthology of Anarchism
• Graham, Robert (ed) – Volumes 1-3 of Anarchism: A Documentary History of Libertarian Ideas

General Anarchist History

• Cahm, Caroline – Kropotkin and the Rise of Revolutionary Anarchism
• Damier, V – Anarcho-Syndicalism in the 20th Century
• Graham, Robert – We Do Not Fear Anarchy, We Invoke It: The First International & The Origins of the Anarchist Movement
• Schmidt, Michael & Van der Walt, Lucien – Black Flame: The Revolutionary Class Politics of Anarchism & Syndicalism
• Turcato, Davide – Making Sense of Anarchism: Errico Malatesta’s Experiments with Revolution, 1889-1900

History of the Spanish Revolution

• Ackelsberg, Martha – Free Women of Spain: Anarchism & The Struggle for the Emancipation of Women
• Bookchin, Murray – To Remember Spain: The Anarchist and Syndicalist Revolution of 1936
• Christie, Stuart – We, the Anarchists: A Study of the Iberian Anarchist Federation (FAI), 1927-1937
• Guillamon, Agustin – Ready for Revolution: The CNT Defence Committees in Barcelona 1933-38
• Leval, Gaston – Collectives in the Spanish Revolution
• Mintz, Frank – Anarchism & Workers’ Self-Management in Revolutionary Spain
• Pierats, Jose – Anarchists in the Spanish Revolution

History of the Russian Revolution

• Avrich, Paul – Kronstadt
• Berkman, Alexander – The Russian Tragedy
• Brinton, Maurice – The Bolsheviks & Workers’ Control: The State & Counter-Revolution
• Goldman, Emma – My Two Years in Russia (available in two volumes – ‘My Disillusionment in Russia‘ & ‘My Further Disillusionment in Russia‘)
• Maximov, Grigori – Bolsheviks: Promises & Reality
• Maximov, Grigori – The Guillotine at Work Volume 1: The Leninist Counter-Revolution
• Voline – The Unknown Revolution, 1917-1921

My Personal Favorites

• Berkman, Alexander – The ABC of Anarchism (the best introduction to anarchism ever)
• Schmidt, Michael & Van der Walt, Lucien – Black Flame: The Revolutionary Class Politics of Anarchism & Syndicalism (the best historical overview of the ideas and strategy that characterized anarchism as a social movement)
• Solidarity Federation – Fighting for Ourselves: Anarcho-Syndicalism and the Class Struggle
• The Delo Truda Group – The Organizational Platform of the General Union of Anarchists
• Turcato, Davide (ed) – The Method of Freedom: An Errico Malatesta Reader (my favorite anarchist book of all time)

anarkist

Länk: https://anarchopac.wordpress.com/2013/05/31/recommended-reading/