Anarchism (Broadview Encore Editions)

Woodcock's Anarchism was first published in 1962 but contains some updates from two decades later. Its historical gaze is fairly in depth for the most part, and it is helpful to approach this text with some basic prior knowledge of anarchism. Overall it is a great resource in understanding anarchism as a historical movement, bringing attention to events and people that are largely overlooked elsewhere. The only downside of Woodcock's detailed research is that the reader may tire of specific names of journals and dates and other overly-particular information from time to time.The book begins with an effective introduction that anticipates the broader trends in anarchist history and its key players. The next part of the book focuses on the lives of individuals who contributed important or distinct threads to the anarchist narratives, and the last section chronologies libertarian movements by nation or region.I think this is a terrific treasure of anarchist history, however it should not escape a couple of critiques. As somebody more familiar with anarchist activities of the last couple decades, I found the absence of women and women's issues to be a blatant gap. No doubt the movement itself was historically hostile to women at times and historical artifacts equating first wave feminism with classical anarchism are exceptional. The book of course does include women--Louise Michel and Emma Goldman being its principle celebrities for the time period covered--but it offers little explanation for or admission of their underrepresentation.

Essential reading.