While Malatesta was hiding from the police he regularly went to a cafe in Ancona, Italy. He had shaved off his usual beard but he was still taking a risk. Especially as this wasn't an anarchist cafe, but had a variety of customers including the local policeman. The conversations he had in this cafi became the basis for the dialogues that make up this book.
For the first time in English, Malatesta, in his usual commonsense and matter-of-fact style, sets out and critically analyses the arguments for and against anarchism. Translated by Paul Nursey-Bray, this is a classic defence of anarchism that anticipates the rise of nationalism, fascism and communism.

A small classic in the literature of revolt, this rare book lays out the foundational philosophy of anarchism, exposing the possibilities of a society without hierarchies of control, power and oppression. The author, Malatesta, spent years in prison, formulating his ideas in exile. This small book will serve as an invaluable guidestone for modern activists and those seeking to challenge the system of privilege, power, and oppression as it exists in modern times.

"Life and Ideas" gathers excerpts from Malatesta's writings over a lifetime of revolutionary activity. The editor, Vernon Richards, has translated hundreds of articles by Malatesta, taken from the journals Malatesta either edited himself or contributed to, from the earliest, "L'En Dehors" of 1892, through to "Pensiero e Volonta," which was forced to close by Mussolini's fascists in 1926, and the bilingual "Il Risveglio/Le Reveil," which published most of his writings after that date. These articles have been pruned down to their essentials and collected under subheadings ranging from "Ends and Means" to "Anarchist Propaganda." Through the selections Malatesta's classical anarchism emerges: a revolutionary, nonpacifist, nonreformist vision informed by decades of engagement in struggle and study. In addition there is a short biographical piece and an essay by the editor.""