The Anarchist Cookbook
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| File:Anarchistcookbookdsfg.jpg | |
| Author | William Powell |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Instructional |
| Publisher | Lyle Stuart |
|
Publication date
|
1971 |
| ISBN | 0-9623032-0-8 |
| OCLC | 120422 |
The Anarchist Cookbook, first published in 1971,[1] is a book that contains instructions for the manufacture of explosives, rudimentary telecommunications phreaking devices, and other items. The book also includes instructions for home manufacturing of illicit drugs, including LSD. It was written by William Powell at the apex of the counterculture era in order to protest against United States involvement in the Vietnam War.[2]
Contents
Publication status
The copyright of the book no longer belongs to its author, but to its publisher Lyle Stuart.[2] Stuart kept publishing the book until the company was bought in 1991 by Steven Schragis, who decided to drop it. Out of the 2,000 books published by the company, it was the only one that Schragis decided to stop publishing. Schragis said publishers have a responsibility to the public, and the book had no positive social purpose that could justify keeping it in print.[3] In December 2013, it was reported that the copyright had been bought in 2002 by Delta Press, an Arkansas-based publisher that specialises in controversial books, and the book is their "most-asked-for volume".[4]
The latest publication date is October 16, 2012 (ISBN 978-1607965237), and the book is available in both paperback and hardback from Snowball Publishing.[5] Reviewers say the copy has its basis in a 2002 revision and shows heavy editing and many items removed over the original 1971 edition.[6]
Author
Since writing the book, Powell has converted to Anglicanism in 1976 and has attempted to have the book removed from circulation.[7][8] When Lyle Stuart published the book, its copyright was taken out in the publisher's name, not Powell's, and the current publisher had no desire to remove the book from print. Powell has since created many websites devoted to the book, explaining his desire to see it removed from circulation,[2] as he no longer advocates what he had written.
On 19 December 2013, William Powell wrote an article in The Guardian to call for the book to "quickly and quietly go out of print".[9]
Reception
At the time of its publication, one Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) memo described The Anarchist Cookbook as "one of the crudest, low-brow, paranoiac writing efforts ever attempted".[10]
In 2009, the magazine Vice published a brief history of the book as well as excerpted recipes. The magazine's associate network, VBS.tv, also broadcast a documentary on the subject.[11]
In 2010, the FBI released the bulk of its investigative file on The Anarchist Cookbook.[12][13]
Anarchism
Advocates of anarchism dispute the association of the book with anarchist political philosophy. The anarchist collective CrimethInc., which published the book Recipes for Disaster: An Anarchist Cookbook in response, denounces the earlier book, saying it was "not composed or released by anarchists, not derived from anarchist practice, not intended to promote freedom and autonomy or challenge repressive power – and was barely a cookbook, as most of the recipes in it are notoriously unreliable".[14]
Legality
The book was refused classification by the Office of Film and Literature Classification upon release, thus making the book banned in Australia.[15]
In 2007, a 17-year-old was arrested in Britain and faced charges under Terrorism Law in the UK for possession of this book, among other things.[16] He was cleared of all charges in October 2008, after arguing that he was a prankster who just wanted to research fireworks and smoke bombs.[17]
In County Durham, UK in 2010, Ian Davison and his son were imprisoned under anti-terrorism laws for the manufacturing of ricin, and their possession of The Anarchist Cookbook, along with its availability, was noted by the authorities.[18]
In 2013, renewed calls were made in the United States to ban this book, citing links to a school shooting in Colorado by Karl Pierson.[4]
See also
References
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- ↑ http://www.snowballpublishing.com/
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- ↑ Walker, Jesse (2011-02-16) The FBI on The Anarchist Cookbook, Reason
- ↑ TECH-ARCHY- Beyond the Pages of the Anarchist Cookbook Vice. April 2009
- ↑ FBI Files on the Anarchist Cookbook Retrieved on February 14, 2011
- ↑ Mirror of "FBI Files on the Anarchist Cookbook" Retrieved on July 24, 2013
- ↑ The Guardian, September 2004, as quoted at CWC Books : Recipes For Disaster Retrieved on November 22, 2007
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External links
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