What did you buy at the anarchist bookfair?
Oct 21 2008
I didn't do so well this year, I didn't really look through the stalls properly. So all I got was the new Aufheben and the old one about class struggle in China, the new organise! with its good new design, and two freebies: a copy of freedom from J and a pamphlet about big flame from gangster.
Saw that other people get? And for those who were selling stuff, what was going the quickest?
Oct 21 2008
#2
Very little....a book about CRASS. The best thing I got was free, Class Wars "£1 a litre? BASTARDS!!!" sticker.
Oct 21 2008
#3
Catch, that Brecher book is the absolute shit. One of the top political books I've ever read, if not the top.
Oct 21 2008
#4
Left wing of the Turkish Communist Party from Devrim and a couple rounds of drinks. And some fried chicken, still have stuff to read from last year.
Oct 21 2008
#5
Oh God I so envy all these bookfairs you have there. I have to stick with the web and an overpriced Amazon order from time to time.
Oct 21 2008
#6
I bought Bookchin's Third Revolution, Revolution in Ukraine by Mahkno and Paul Mason's book on the Working Class. I also attended Lucio Urtubia's film showing which was inspirational and humorous - an authentic Anarchist hero! 
Oct 22 2008
#7
Buffy the Anarcho Syndicalist comic sold like hot cakes...
Oct 23 2008
#8
New Aufheben
Autobiography of Malcolm X
Some little EZLN ninja keyring thing.
Class War didnt have what I wanted: a Down With Paul Values shirt and the ASBO hoodie has still not been re-printed. 
Oct 23 2008
#9
Didnt really buy much this year apart from a couple of AF t-shirts - "Anarchist Communism or Death" and "No War but Class War". Spent most of the time working on the stall or with a bloody collection bucket outside! Managed to chat to a few comrades i hadnt seen since last year!
Oct 23 2008
#10
New Aufheben
Endnotes 1
New Black Flag
KSL pamphlet on the FORA
Latest copy of Freedom
Oct 23 2008
#11
Did everyone here buy Endnotes? I did too, I want to stroke it and hold it and make it promise to never leave me.
Oct 24 2008
#12
At the Cafe by Malatesta
a load of stickers
and a tshirt with 'FUCK THE POLICE' in polish
Oct 24 2008
#13
So bookfair goers, any reviews of anything new?
It's very interesting marketing information knowing what T-shirts you like to buy, but I'd like to know about what's new to read. 
Am in the same situation as Jura. Would really like to know what, if anything, is worth ordering. Am absolutely dying for some good reads. What's Endnotes and what's this Buffy? Is the Paul Mason book "How the Working Class Went Global" and is it any good?
What's the Brecher book and why is it good or bad?
Oct 24 2008
#14
laureakai wrote:
What's Endnotes?
Endnotes is the other half of the Aufheben split, who are politically close to Theorie Communiste. They've published a book of TC stuff they've translated as a debate with stuff by Gilles Dauvé. the book looks really sexy but i haven't read it yet. I like dauvé, don't know much about TC, but i think they're hegalian marxists who see class struggle as 'system-immanent.' but like i say, haven't read anything by them so could be wrong.
Oct 24 2008
#15
I propose a Trot-bashing stall OUTSIDE the bookfair, next to theirs. Some good material out there- pamphlets, articles, AF's Trot Alarm poster... lol
Oct 24 2008
#16
you could read the two new AF pamphlets - Basic Kropotkin and The Anarchist Movement in Japan (actually a reprint) - both can be ordered through manchester[at]af-north.org. drop me a line with your address and I'll send them. Maybe you'll want to order a few after that.
Oct 24 2008
#17
were there any trots outside the bookfair? i only saw the ICC
Oct 24 2008
#18
Joseph K. wrote:
Endnotes is the other half of the Aufheben split, .
is there a second splinter group with a different name?
Oct 24 2008
#19
the other half is just Aufheben, they carried on. as i understand it the endnotes lot wanted to devote more time to translating and engaging with TCs theory, which i think argues class struggle can't go beyond capital. Aufheben (as in the remaining ones) wanted to continue to analyse ongoing/recent struggles alongside the more theoretical stuff. hence the split (i wasn't about at the time so at best this is likely to be an over-simplification).
Oct 24 2008
#20
catch wrote:
Strike - Jeremy Brecher
I hope it was the first edition, as the second edition is much worse -- they cut out some excellent analysis.
catch wrote:
Black Flag (new one)
Any comments, out of interest? Any suggestions for the next issue?
Oct 24 2008
#21
No it's the second edition. And yes I know it's supposed to be not as good. But I can never find the first edition anywhere.
Haven't read the new Black Flag yet, about 4/5 through the Grundrisse at the moment and trying to finish it off.
Oct 25 2008
#22
Joseph K. wrote:
were there any trots outside the bookfair? i only saw the ICC
The Revolutionary Communist Group were there, who are Stalinised former Trots. Most of their activity is based around vicarious Cuban nationalism and defending/recruiting asylum seekers these days. They're a very strange lot.
Oct 25 2008
#23
Anarcho wrote:
Any comments, out of interest? Any suggestions for the next issue?
I think its been improving with every issue since the relaunch. The new one is very good (and I dont just say that as a contributor), even if I disagreed with some of the politics. Thats probably a strength, in that it can function as a collective publication of the movement in the UK parallel to groups' own publications. I mean this one had both the WSM's brand of platformism and articles very sympathetic to left communism in it.
Personally, I'd like to see it coming out more frequently. Perhaps next year could see three issues, maybe a bit more ambition could see it becoming quarterly in 2009.
Have the editorial group considered hosting the back issues online on libcom in the same way as Aufheben? This would likely increase its profile and readership - I started reading aufheben online and buy it now.
Oct 25 2008
#24
Well we do have a slight problem in that the files are pretty big (14mb for the last one) so libcom's not best suited to that, but if I get round to it individual articles could probably be put up. We're talking about setting up a dedicated site as well to host entire issues, sell the next one etc but that's early days atm.
On the increased frequency thing, we're trying to make sure that what we do is sustainable, so we want to make sure we have good-quality content to fill three issues per year (as opposed to running shitloads of filler), and we'd need to get hold of a second sub for layout, as I'm limited to two per annum (depending on their skill levels, I'd probably either train them up from scratch on Indesign or just do a quick tutorial thing on the style we're working with atm).
Oct 25 2008
#25
Refused wrote:
Autobiography of Malcolm X
Shabazz's proto-third-world-nationalist politics are teh sux0r, but that book is one of the most enjoyable reading experiences ever. Especially the Harlem-era material.
Oct 25 2008
#26
Joseph K. wrote:
I like dauvé, don't know much about TC, but i think they're hegalian marxists who see class struggle as 'system-immanent.' but like i say, haven't read anything by them so could be wrong.
1) Oooh, sounds like my kind of thing!! I assume there is no way for me to get this in Germany. Are there any distributors to order from?
2) Why aren't those people together with Principia? Narcissism of the smallest difference?
Oct 25 2008
#27
laureakai wrote:
So bookfair goers, any reviews of anything new?It's very interesting marketing information knowing what T-shirts you like to buy, but I'd like to know about what's new to read.
What's the Brecher book and why is it good or bad?
Buffy is a comic book of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but with new captions written by the libcom poster Felix Frost - who it was great to see again, with his wife who was also very cool
The Brecher book is a historical book looking at mass strikes in American history, from the great upheaval of 1877 to the postal workers wildcat of 1970. It is written from a completely grass-roots, working class perspective, and is totally inspiring an excellent. Its analysis of conflicting organisations and institutions in the struggles is also superb.
Oct 25 2008
#28
I'd second the endorsement of Brecher's Strike! - it's excellent, a great read, and a great political education. I'd be interested to read an account of what was taken out for the second edition.
A fairly barren year for me this year. Just an edition of an old journal edited by Stuart Hall about youth subculture since 1945. But I like descriptive sociology...
Oct 25 2008
#29
Angelus Novus wrote:
Joseph K. wrote:
I like dauvé, don't know much about TC, but i think they're hegalian marxists who see class struggle as 'system-immanent.' but like i say, haven't read anything by them so could be wrong.1) Oooh, sounds like my kind of thing!! I assume there is no way for me to get this in Germany. Are there any distributors to order from?
2) Why aren't those people together with Principia? Narcissism of the smallest difference?
You can read some of their texts online at www.theoriecommuniste.org . TC has been around since the 1970's and is now part of the milieu around the idea of 'communisation'.
Oct 25 2008
#30
Angelus Novus wrote:
Joseph K. wrote:
I like dauvé, don't know much about TC, but i think they're hegalian marxists who see class struggle as 'system-immanent.' but like i say, haven't read anything by them so could be wrong.1) Oooh, sounds like my kind of thing!! I assume there is no way for me to get this in Germany. Are there any distributors to order from?
2) Why aren't those people together with Principia? Narcissism of the smallest difference?
Aufheben and prol-position have been around a lot longer than Principia. Also they're not insufferable bores. (disclaimer, I only know one person from End Notes via his involvement with Tea Break, met some of the others very briefly at the bookfair and haven't read the publication yet).
I bought loads.
Books:
Strike - Jeremy Brecher
Troops in Strikes - Steve Peak (about strike breaking in the UK from 1920 - 1983)
End notes 1
Pamphlets/Magazines:
New Aufheben + a back issue from the '90s
Three Japanese Anarchists - Victor Garcia
FORA in Argentina - ASP
Towards a Fresh Revolution - FOD
Left wing of the Turkish Communist Party - EKS
Black Flag (new one)
Notes from the class struggle - A.G Amsterdam/FAU Bremen
Catalyst
Freedom
Prol Position #10