The Conquest of Bread (AK Press)

A brilliant blueprint for a free society by one of anarchism’s most famous theorists. ‘The Conquest of Bread’ is Peter Kropotkin’s most extensive study of human needs and his outline of the most rational and equitable means of satisfying them. The most important and widely read exposition of anarchist economic theory, its combination of detailed historical analysis and far-reaching utopian vision is a step-by-step guide to social revolution: the concrete means of achieving it and the new world that humanity can create. Writing in a way that he describes as “moderate in style, but revolutionary in substance,” Kropotkin adeptly translates complex ideas into common language, while rendering the often-amorphous aspirations of social movements into coherent form. Includes an introduction that historically situates and discusses the contemporary relevance of Kropotkin’s ideas. With an introduction by Charles Weigl, a writer and activist based in Berkeley, CA, and former collective member of AK Press.