Mother Earth Rides Again [Review of] Anarchy! An anthology Of Emma Goldman's Mother Earth, Edited and with commentary by Peter Glassgold

Anarchy! An anthology Of Emma Goldman's Mother Earth, Edited and with commentary by Peter Glassgold

ISBN: 1-58243-040-3 May 1, 2001

$25.00 paperback / 428 pages plus photos

This is an impressive production; not only in the sheer volume of material that has been gathered, but in its quality. This is even more important given how hard it would have been to access these articles in their original form: copies of Mother Earth are not easy to come across. Most reprinted Mother Earth material before this has been from the pen of Emma Goldman, but this anthology covers all the range of contributors, (the pieces from Voltairine de Cleyre almost make it worthwhile on their own) and topics, so that Glassgold doesn't try to edit out 'inconvenient' history - whether it's armed struggle or Ibsen!

It has been well edited, too; Glassgold doesn't assume that (for example) everyone will know about Anthony "Witchfinder General" Comstock or the details of the San Diego Free Speech Fight, but briefly introduces the necessary knowledge without overpowering the pieces - or turning them into museum specimens - and lets them speak for themselves.

Anyone interested in Anarchist history will obviously want a copy, but anyone interested in the relevance of anarchist ideas to life today would also be like to find good stuff there. It should cost around £18 in the UK, but perseverance should get most libraries to order a copy - so get requesting!