Customer Reviews

BOMB: The Classic Novel of Anarchist Violence

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I bought the Feral House paperback reprint of The Bomb because it was the only one readily available at the time. I'm now tempted to track down another edition, because Feral House did a very poor job. The text is riddled with typographical errors to the extent that it is occasionally hard to be sure exactly what a sentence is supposed to mean. (Feral House likes to call themselves "the publisher that refuses to be tamed"; I prefer to think of them as "the publisher that refuses to hire a proofreader".) The new afterword by a modern anarchist "thinker" is witless, doctrinaire nonsense. It adds nothing to the book. John dos Passos' introduction (borrowed from an earlier edition) is mean-spirited and rather contemptible, but its capsule biography of Frank Harris may be useful to those who know little of his life.

The novel itself is very good, though the novel's focus, the semi-fictitious anarchist Louis Lingg, is a bit too perfect to be believed. He's really not so much a believable character as an author mouthpiece in the style of Ayn Rand's John Galt or Robert Heinlein's Jubal Harshaw. The book is a compelling read nevertheless, and I recommend it highly if you can find an edition prepared by someone who understands the value of proofreading.

I really liked the way this book was written. Full of descriptions, it tells a story of love, a great friendship and a life that immigrants had and in some ways still have to live in a new country. The book is written in such a way that it makes a reader think that the author, not the protagonist, threw the bomb. It is worth of your money and of your time to read it.

This is the story of an immigrant who gets drawn into period (late 1800s) anarchy in the U.S.

Here, one reads about the heinous maltreatment of the immigrant labor force by the robber barons and other rapscallions. The narrator ultimately travels to Chicago where the maltreatment of these workers comes to a head when a bomb is thrown in The Haymarket Square, killing some (corrupt) policemen.

As one reads this excellent story, s/he is reminded of similar works such as "The Jungle" (Upton Sinclair), or, "The Black Flag: A Look Back at the Strange Case of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti" (Brian Jackson). However, "The Bomb" is, of course fiction, albeit based upon an actual historical event, and so it's a smoother read... a page-turner really.

The more subtle focal point of the book hits upon the core philosophy of anarchism all of which is shrewdly conveyed through riveting dialogue and suspenseful action.

Regarding the book edition, I acquired an old used library copy, published in hardcover (with a dustjacket) by The University of Chicago Press, in 1963. The work was originally published in 1909 by Mitchell Kennerley (New York), and was republished by the author in 1920. I am very pleased with both the readability and the binding of my edition.

Finally, in the introduction by John Dos Passos, we are told that the author, Frank Harris, was a fringe sort of fellow, and perhaps a bit of a scoundrel at times. But Harris has done a fine job with the book and I highly recommend it.

Frank Harris gives a wonderful account of the Haymarket Square Riots with one of the greatest, most idealistic love stories as a subplot. Throughout this book I felt truly inclined to believe just how incredible the hero of the novel is. It introduced me to the ideas of socialism and put thoughts in my mind that perhaps the bombing was justified. Either way, this is a fascinating book that should be given the time and chance to be read.

The novel, while well written, is a bit dry and observational. However, the ideas it presents, notably what discourse an oppressed people has, have parallels with situations in the West Bank and Sept 11.