Overview

The essays in this book, many of which are either out-of-print or difficult to obtain, were written between 1955 and 1963, one of the most fertile periods of Thompson's intellectual and political life. They reveal Thompson's insistence on the vitality of a humanistic and democratic socialism along with his view of the value of utopian thinking in radical politics. Throughout, Thompson struggles to open a space independent of official parties, opposing them with a vision of socialism built from the bottom up. Editor Cal Winslow provides context for the essays in a detailed introduction reminding us why this eloquent and inspiring voice remains so relevant to us today.

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9781909831070

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Reviews

'This collection introduces the thought of an outstanding left historian who combined commitment with original and open-minded inquiry. Thompson's brilliance and wit transformed the scope of working-class history internationally, documenting how the action of human beings had shaped the present. Equally engaged in the creation of new forms of left politics as a libertarian socialist, his writings are indispensable weapons for a new generation of activists struggling to reinvent radicalism.' - Sheila Rowbotham, author, Dreamers of a New Day 'Through this timely, well-chosen collection of E. P. Thompson's political and historical essays, Cal Winslow gives vital new life to one of the most creative radical thinkers and activists of the twentieth century.' - Marcus Rediker, author, The Amistad Rebellion 'Thompson led a cometary life as teacher, protester, and socialist historian. Cal Winslow's invaluable anthology - a gift to the new generation - includes the legendary essays that were so seminal to the emergence of the English New Left in the late 1950s and early 1960s. They exemplify the polemical precision and moral clarity with which EPT opposed both dogma and concession in his quest to recover the soul of the English revolutionary tradition.' - Mike Davis, author, In Praise of Barbarians 'What gift in these troubled times! The full range of Edward Thompson's work is represented here, a reminder of what a public intellectual should be. This collection educates and inspires.' - John Gillis, author, The Human Shore: Seacoasts in History

Author Information

E. P. Thompson (1924-1993) is one of the most acclaimed historians of the twentieth century. He is known for his works The Making of the English Working Class, William Morris: Romantic to Revolutionary, and The Poverty of Theory, among others. Cal Winslow is a Fellow in Environmental History in the Geography Department at the University of California, Berkeley and Director of the Mendocino Institute, a not-for-profit research and education centre. A longtime labour, antiwar, and peace activist and educator, he was trained at Antioch College and Warwick University where he studied under E.P. Thompson.

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