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The Individualist Anarchists: An Anthology of Liberty (1881-1908)

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This book is a collection of articles from Benjamin Tucker's magazine, _Liberty_. The entirety of Liberty's contents has since been made freely available online, but for those who are just interested in reading a representative sample, by way of introduction, or who might be more comfortable reading ink on paper, then the anthology contained in this book will certainly fit the bill.

The articles are broken down by subject, and cover such topics as the political theory of anarchism (and how it compares to Marxism and Liberalism), the "labor problem", free banking, intellectual property, free love, children, and various ideas on acceptable tactics for spreading anarchist ideas. Anyone confused by the notion of "Libertarian Socialism" will find plenty of food for thought in these pages.

Aside from Tucker, some of the other writers include John Beverley Robinson, Victor Yarros, John Badcock Jr., Gertrude B. Kelly, and Joseph A. Labadie.

Upon first reading, skepticism looms overhead, fat black rainclouds of doubt shadow the land. The ray of sun is: that no single opinion dominates this book, that it is refreshingly diverse. Anarchists in this volume emerge as political freethinkers, people of a courageous honesty who debate and exchange powerful ideas on the topics concerning social beings. When closing the book, wonder is in the wind...one ponders Mencken's germane analogy of politics to religion and the poplular participation of the masses in the exercise of control.