The Best of Abbie Hoffman: Selections from Revolution for the Hell of It, Woodstock Nation, Steal this Book and New Writings [Paperback]

Abbie Hoffman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 18, 1993

The Best of Abbie Hoffman is the inspirational life story of Abbie Hoffman, cofounder of the Yippie movement and one of the most important activists of the twentieth century. Hoffman recounts his growing involvement in the student movement as it rose to national prominence, giving behind-the-scenes details about the historic protests at the 1968 Democratic Convention and subsequent Chicago conspiracy trial, his "levitation" of the Pentagon, and his friendships with other movement leaders. This new edition includes a selection of photographs documenting his continuing activism in the 1980s and a new Afterword by leading historian Howard Zinn about Hoffman's enduring legacy. "This book is a document . . . the autobiography of a bona fide American revolutionary." -- Norman Mailer, from his Introduction

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In his foreword, Norman Mailer calls this oninium-gatherum "the autobiography of a bona fide American revolutionary," and indeed it is. The collection includes selections from Hoffman's Revolution for the Hell of It (o.p.), Woodstock Nation ( LJ 12/15/69. o.p.), Steal This Book ( LJ 11/15/71. o.p.), and nine essays originally published in the 1980s, all of which provide a unique first-person account of the irrepressible Hoffman and his times. Radiating from every page is Hoffman's determined commitment to radical change in a society constructed on political compromise and cooption. Libraries lacking Hoffman's major writings should buy this book .
- Kenneth F. Kister, Poynter Inst. for Media Studies, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 440 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (January 18, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0941423425
• ISBN-13: 978-0941423427
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,262,872 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The right texts but the wrong presentation., March 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Best of Abbie Hoffman (Hardcover)

By attempting to reintroduce The Hoff to a new generation, this book certainly attempted the honourable. However, one of the most important elements of the original trio of books that make up the bulk of the text of this volume (REVOLUTION FOR THE HELL OF IT, WOODSTOCK NATION and STEAL THIS BOOK) was the brilliant artwork, punctuating the texts, that was not even mentioned in this one. If you can't find the original three, this will be a passable introduction to Hoffman's brilliance, but be forewarned that you're missing out on a unique experience.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars His most popular works but not his best, July 28, 2010

By 

Timothy W. Lieder "racapowski is rapacowski" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Best of Abbie Hoffman: Selections from Revolution for the Hell of It, Woodstock Nation, Steal this Book and New Writings (Paperback)

Like most teenagers in the 1980s feeling the stifling air of the Reagan Revolution, I romanticized the 60s. I loved Woodstock footage. I watched PBS documentaries on the Beatles. I listened to only 60s music. However, reading the radical literature at the time was a bit onerous. THE STRAWBERRY STATEMENT -NOTES OF A COLLEGE REVOLUTION was full of "Disney was a fascist" verbiage (ok he was but I still didn't see how that was relevant) and much of the Weather Man literature was creepy. I was slowly learning the fact that would slap me in the face many times in college which was that stupidity, jingoism, zealotry and narrowmindedness are not the sole property of Conservatives (or people who don't agree with my politics).

Abbie Hoffman was a welcome relief from this kind of garbage. He had a sense of humor. He could argue his points clearly and with wit. He embraced a positive world view and didn't let his beliefs turn him into a jerk. Sadly he killed himself so that kind of undercut his value but I still liked his books.

Sadly, these are the early books. They show too much earnestness and rough beliefs. The first two books are crowing about the new hippie utopia. Steal this Book is a retread of The Anarchist Cookbook even if much of its advice is in the "Duh" school of larceny. I didn't really need a book to tell me that those Record & Tape Clubs are much more profitable if you get the initial order and never buy anything else again.

Anyone interested in Abbie Hoffman should read his later books like Square Dancing in the Ice Age (written during his fugitive years) and Soon to Be a Major Motion Picture which has a lot more perspective.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Best of Abbie Hoffman, September 21, 2010

By 

heaslojo - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Best of Abbie Hoffman: Selections from Revolution for the Hell of It, Woodstock Nation, Steal this Book and New Writings (Paperback)

I bought this book for a customer. She really enjoyed it and was well pleased.

Tammy
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