Pierre Joseph Proudhon (1809-1865) is one of the most important French social theoreticians of the nineteenth century. George Woodcock's book, first published in 1956, was the first full-scale biography of Proudhon in the English language.

Proudhon's influence on the French Socialist movement was immense and he played a great part in the First International and Paris Commune, in French syndicalism and in contemporary movements for currency reform.

Proudhon's significance also reaches forward into the contemporary era, when his massive distrust of the state and his teaching of the need for world federation took on a new importance in a world threatened by the explosive rivalries of giant nationalistic states.

"The Marvellous Century," filled with characters, events, romance and intrigue, explores the literature, the philosophy, the politics and the sciences of the sixth century BC. It documents the writing of the Upanishads, pursues the thought of the Greek astronomer and philosopher Thales, traces the emergence of atomic theories in India, monitors the economics of the central Asia silk trade, reflects upon the great religions--Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism and Modern Judaism--and discusses how, and why, so much that was vital to our civilization came into being during this era.

George Woodcock (1912-1995)--poet, author, essayist and widely known as a literary journalist and historian--published more than 90 titles on history, biography, philosophy, poetry and literary criticism.

Pierre Joseph Proudhon (1809-1865) is one of the most important French social theoreticians of the nineteenth century. George Woodcock's book, first published in 1956, was the first full-scale biography of Proudhon in the English language. Proudhon's influence on the French Socialist movement was immense and he played a great part in the First International and Paris Commune, in French syndicalism and in contemporary movements for currency reform. Proudhon's significance also reaches forward into the contemporary era, when his massive distrust of the state and his teaching of the need for world federation took on a new importance in a world threatened by the explosive rivalries of giant nationalistic states.

During his lifetime, Herbert Read acquired a considerable international reputation as a poet, anarchist, novelist and biographer, critic of art, literature and life, aesthetic philosopher and revolutionary theorist of education. This book is a critical study of his intellectual career.

"The Marvellous Century," filled with characters, events, romance and intrigue, explores the literature, the philosophy, the politics and the sciences of the sixth century BC. It documents the writing of the Upanishads, pursues the thought of the Greek astronomer and philosopher Thales, traces the emergence of atomic theories in India, monitors the economics of the central Asia silk trade, reflects upon the great religions--Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism and Modern Judaism--and discusses how, and why, so much that was vital to our civilization came into being during this era.

George Woodcock (1912-1995)--poet, author, essayist and widely known as a literary journalist and historian--published more than 90 titles on history, biography, philosophy, poetry and literary criticism.

With compassion and honesty, George Woodcock presents Malcolm Lowry: the man and his works. The portrait that emerges depicts a series of complex and destructive relationships that lead to an existential exploration of alienation, exile, and identity and to what many critics regard as some of the finest writing to come out of the twentieth century.

This compelling collection of essays provides considerable insight into the challenges Lowry set for himself-as an artist and as a man. The first section of the book, "The Works," considers all of Lowry's fiction and the evolution of his style as he struggled to find the form appropriate to a new approach to reality. The influences that shaped his world and gave form to his work are considered in the second section, "The Man and the Sources." From Lowry's love of jazz and the cinema, to the books he read, Woodcock follows Lowry's life: a life marked by violent alcoholism, two unstable marriages, and stints in jails and mental institutions as he drifted to and from London, Paris, New York, and Mexico. Contributors include: Robert B. Heilman, Anthony R. Kilgallin, George Woodcock, Geoffrey Durrant, David Benham, Matthew Corrigan, Conrad Aiken, Hilda Thomas, Downif Kirk, W.H. New, Perle Epstein, William McConnell, and Maurice J. Carey.

George Woodcock (19121995)-award-winning poet, author, and essayist and widely known as a literary journalist and historian-published more than ninety titles on history, biography, philosophy, poetry, and literary criticism.

Woodcock's biography is one of the first to enter deeply into the intellectual content of Wilde's works and life. He probes the dualistic nature of Wilde's mind and provides a critical, in-depth discussion of the paradox that was Oscar Wilde. "Successfully reconciles two disparate views of Wilde: that of upper class dandy and that of social critic."--"The Gateway"

"Godwin ... was the inspiring intelligence behind the humanist attitudes of the English Romantic poets and Utopian societies.... his spiritual anarchism is still a relevant concept."--"Vancouver Sun" "The book is brilliant.... interesting reading even if you know nothing about Godwin."--"Ottawa Citizen"

The clearest statement of Kropotkin's anarchist social doctrines. In Kropotkin's own description, the book is "a study of the needs of humanity, and of the economic means to satisfy them."

The first full-scale English-language biography of the prominent 19th century social thinker and "father of anarchism." "Woodcock makes a very good case for the consistency of Proudhon's] teaching."-- "New York Times" "Essential reading for a true appreciation of economic history and thought."--"Small Press"

An early collection from the founder of "Canadian Literature" containing poems divided into four collections, excluding the preface and epilogue poems, named "Bestiary, Mythology, Homage," and "Anima."

To what degree can anarchism be an effective organized movement? Is it realistic to think of anarchist ideas ever forming the basis for social life itself? These questions are widely being asked again today in response to the forces of economic globalization. The framework for such discussions was perhaps given its most memorable shape, however, in George Woodcock's classic study of anarchism--now widely recognized as the most significant twentieth-century overview of the subject.

Woodcock surveys all of the major figures that shaped anarchist thought, from Godwin and Proudhon to Bakunin, Goldman, and Kropotkin, and looks as well at the long-term prospects for anarchism and anarchist thought. In Woodcock's view "pure" anarchism--characterized by "the loose and flexible affinity group which needs no formal organization"--was incompatible with mass movements that require stable organizations, that are forced to make compromises in the face of changing circumstances, and that need to maintain the allegiance of a wide range of supporters. Yet Woodcock continued to cherish anarchist ideals; as he said in a 1990 interview, "I think anarchism and its teachings of decentralization, of the coordination of rural and industrial societies, and of mutual aid as the foundation of any viable society, have lessons that in the present are especially applicable to industrial societies."

This classic work of intellectual history and political theory (first published in the 1960s, revised in 1986) is now available exclusively from UTP Higher Education.

This biography surveys and analyzes the most significant aspects of Peter Kropotkin's life and thought: his formative years in Russia, 1842-1876, and the origins of his anarchist thinking; his years as an emigre in Western Europe, 1876-1917, and the ripening of his political thought; and his last years in the Soviet Union, 1917-1921.