The author, James Martin, notes that the purpose of the book is to (Page
ix): "Its evolution from the practical stages as a frontier experiment
in individual sovereignty and 'equitable commerce' to the theoretical
and intellectual pamphleteering of the late nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries is the main concern here." The subject? American
individualist anarchists. Their basic views? Martin observes that (Page
x): "The individualist anarchists held that the collectivist society in
any form was an impossibility without the eventuality of
authoritarianism, sand ultimately, totalitarianism, and adhered
resolutely to the concept of private property. . . ."
The book itself begins with Josiah Warren, who created a utopian society. He developed the concept of the "time store" as a central economic concept. Perhaps the first major figure in this line of thought. Several chapters outline his efforts to put theory into practice; the book also considers his relationship with allied thinkers, such as Stephen Pearl Andrews.
Other key thinkers covered who were active in the 1800s: Ezra Heywood, William Greene, J. K. Ingalls, Stephen Pearl Andrews, and Lysander Spooner. Spooner and Andrews are especially interesting thinkers.
The book concludes with the iconic Benjamin Tucker, whose publication, "Liberty," was one of his central contributions. Indeed, his major book, "Instead of a Book by a Man too Busy to Write One," is largely a collection of his essays from that publication. The book provides a good sense of Tucker, an original American thinker.
Want to get a sense of the individualist strain in American anarchism? This is a fine starting point... [Steven Peterson]
The book itself begins with Josiah Warren, who created a utopian society. He developed the concept of the "time store" as a central economic concept. Perhaps the first major figure in this line of thought. Several chapters outline his efforts to put theory into practice; the book also considers his relationship with allied thinkers, such as Stephen Pearl Andrews.
Other key thinkers covered who were active in the 1800s: Ezra Heywood, William Greene, J. K. Ingalls, Stephen Pearl Andrews, and Lysander Spooner. Spooner and Andrews are especially interesting thinkers.
The book concludes with the iconic Benjamin Tucker, whose publication, "Liberty," was one of his central contributions. Indeed, his major book, "Instead of a Book by a Man too Busy to Write One," is largely a collection of his essays from that publication. The book provides a good sense of Tucker, an original American thinker.
Want to get a sense of the individualist strain in American anarchism? This is a fine starting point... [Steven Peterson]
