Synopsis
Abbie Hoffman's STEAL THIS BOOK was turned down 30 times before it was finally published in 1970. It was banned in Canada, and many stores in the US refused to carry it. The book, of course, became an international sensation, leaping instantly onto the best-seller lists, making Hoffman even more famous than he already was. Hoffman won renown as a civil rights activist, antiwar organizer, and founder of the Yippies (Youth International Party). A diehard radical, he was arrested and jailed during the riots at the Democratic convention in Chicago in 1968 (and, in fact, wrote the introduction to STEAL THIS BOOK in "that graduate school of survival," the Cook County jail). A combination Boy Scout manual and anarchists' bible, the book is filled with sometimes arcane, sometimes obvious, sometimes inspiring advice on finding cracks in the system, capitalizing on them, and living free. Some of its contents seem quaint today: there are lists of communes across the US, tips on where to buy a used mimeograph machine for disseminating seditious literature, advice on sneaking into the subway using foreign coins (an Icelandic 5-auran piece is "the most effective quarter in the world"), and even some commentary on skyjacking planes with a plastic knife. But beneath all the jokes, the craziness, the murky black-and-white photos of people shoplifting and watering their marijuana plants, is a message that still resonates loud and clear over the years: don't just lie down and take it, fight back, question authority--and have some fun in the process.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 2002-02-24 |
| Size | | Height: | 8.5 in | | Width: | 5.5 in | | Thickness: | 1.0 in | | Weight: | 12.8 oz |
Publisher's Note
A classic of counterculture literature and one of the most controversial documents of all time, Abbie Hoffman's "outlaw handbook" is as meaningful today as the day it hit the streets in 1970. An alternative guide to life, covering everything from shoplifting and growing marijuana to effective demonstrating and defending yourself in a court of law--and in a brawl--STEAL THIS BOOK has educated and inspired young activists around the world for more than three decades.
This beautiful new trade paperback edition features introductions by two of today's most important activists, Lisa Fithian and Al Giordano, both of whom worked with Abbie during the 1980s. They provide historical context and personal anecdotes that bring new readers up to speed on Hoffman's unique brand of political wit and humor, his inimitable sense of theater, and his legacy as a voice of spirited defiance in a time of overwhelming uncertainty. For those who lived through the sixties and for those today who are facing off against global conglomerates and government bureaucracies, Abbie's timeless call to arms will provide fresh inspiration.
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