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Verso Gift Guide!

Verso's 2016 Holiday Gift Guide

Verso Books 1 December 2016

Verso Gift Guide!

We present our Gift Guide for the hard-to-buy-for theory fans in your life, die-hard ACAB enthusiasts, Frankfurt School experts, post-capitalists, utopian thinkers, dystopian advocates, or anyone gearing up for a 2017 filled with protests and organising. 

Until Jan 1: ALL our ebooks are 90% off and ALL our print books are 50% off (with free shipping worldwide and bundled ebooks - where available).See also our End of Year Highlights.

LOOKING AHEAD TO A RADICAL NEW YEAR:


**PLEASE NOTE: this is now out of stock everywhere outside of America & Canada

2017 Verso Radical Diary


A weekly planner with significant dates in radical history from worker revolts to #blacklivesmatter; the English Civil War to the American War of Independence; through to the Russian Revolution, slave rebellions, feminist activism, and Occupy.

See more photos here!


ACAB ENTHUSIASTS:



Policing the Planet: Why the Policing Crisis Led to Black Lives Matter
Edited by Jordan T. Camp and Christina Heatherton

Combining firsthand accounts from activists with the research of scholars and reflections from artists, Policing the Planet traces the global spread of the broken-windows policing strategy, first established in New York City under Police Commissioner William Bratton. It’s a doctrine that has vastly broadened police power the world over—to deadly effect.

“This book is the best analytical and political response we have to the historic rebellions in Ferguson! Don’t miss it.” – Cornel West, author of Black Prophetic Fire

RIOTS ARE COMING. THEY'RE ALREADY HERE. MORE ARE ON THE WAY >>

Riot. Strike. Riot: The New Era of Uprising
Joshua Clover

Award-winning poet Joshua Clover theorizes the riot as the form of the coming insurrection.

In its sweep, rigor, and elegance, Riot. Strike. Riot is pleasurable and provocative, worthy of the urgent debates it should inspire.” – Jeff Chang, author of Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation and Who We Be: The Colorization of America

BLACK RADICAL THOUGHT:



The perfect set on Black Radicalism/Politics, with four classic works from leading black radical intellectuals. 

If They Come in the Morning … : Voices of Resistance edited by Angela Y. Davis 

Darkwater: Voices from Within the Veil by W.E.B. Du Bois. Introduction by Manning Marable 

Invisibility Blues: From Pop to Theory by Michele Wallace

Beyond Black and White: From Civil Rights to Barack Obama by Manning Marable

FOR REBELS AND DISSENTERS:

The Verso Book of Dissent: Revolutionary Words from Three Millennia of Rebellion and Resistance
Edited by Andrew Hsiao and Audrea Lim. Preface by Tariq Ali

This anthology, global in scope, presents voices of dissent from every era of human history: speeches and pamphlets, poems and songs, plays and manifestos. Every age has its iconoclasts, and yet the greatest among them build on the words and actions of their forerunners. The Book of Dissent should be in the arsenal of every rebel who understands that words and ideas are the ultimate weapons.

The Verso Book of Dissent shows the many ways in which the constant struggle to create a better world has broken through the walls of apathy and acquiescence.” – Noam Chomsky

FRANKFURT SCHOOL FANS:

Grand Hotel Abyss: The Lives of the Frankfurt School
Stuart Jeffries

This brilliant group biography asks who were the Frankfurt School and why they matter today.

“This seemingly daunting book turned out to be an exhilarating page-turner…Grand Hotel Abyss is an outstanding critical introduction to some of the most fertile, and still relevant, thinkers of the 20th century.” – Michael Dirda, The Washington Post

FOR FANS OF SUSAN SONTAG:

Against Everything: On Dishonest Times
Mark Greif

A brilliant collection of essays from one of the most highly acclaimed young writers in the US.

“Mark Greif writes a contrarian, skeptical prose that is at the same time never cynical: it opens out on to beauty and the possibility of change.”  –  Zadie Smith
 

TO MAKE THE THEORY FAN IN YOUR LIFE SMILE:
Reading Capital: The Complete Edition
by Louis Althusser, Etienne Balibar, Roger Establet, Pierre Macherey, and Jacques Rancière. Translated by Ben Brewster and David Fernbach

A classic work of Marxist analysis, available unabridged for the first time.

“One of the central texts of French structuralism (and of modern Marxism as well). Its critique of humanism and what Althusser called historicism remains relevant and ought to be renewed in our time.” – Fredric Jameson


Metaphilosophy by Henri Lefebvre. Edited by Stuart Elden. Translated by David Fernbach

In Metaphilosophy, Henri Lefebvre works through the implications of Marx’s revolutionary thought to consider philosophy’s engagement with the world. 

Critique of Everyday Life by Henri Lefebvre

Lefebvre's classic analysis of daily life under capitalism in one complete volume

“One of the great French intellectual activists of the twentieth century.” – David Harvey 


 
Less Than Nothing: Hegel and the Shadow of Dialectical Materialism
Slavoj Žižek

For the last two centuries, Western philosophy has developed in the shadow of Hegel, an influence each new thinker struggles to escape.

“Few thinkers illustrate the contradictions of contemporary capitalism better than Slavoj Žižek ... one of the world's best-known public intellectuals.” – John Gray, New York Review of Books

FOR THE ROSA LUXEMBURG FAN IN YOUR LIFE:

Red Rosa: A Graphic Biography of Rosa Luxemburg
by Kate Evans. Edited by Paul Buhle

A graphic novel of the dramatic life and death of German revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg.

“Utterly brilliant” – Steve Bell, Guardian

IF YOU'RE FED UP WITH WHITE FEMINISM YOU'LL WANT TO READ:




Feminism and Nationalism in the Third World
by Kumari Jayawardena. Foreword by Rafia Zakaria

For twenty-five years, Feminism and Nationalism in the Third World has been an essential book on the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century history of women’s movements in Asia and the Middle East. Kumari Jayawardena presents feminism as it originated in the Third World, erupting from the specific struggles of women fighting against colonial power, for education or the vote, for safety, and against poverty and inequality. In this new edition, journalist and human rights activist Rafia Zakaria’s  writes a foreword as an impassioned letter in two parts: the first to Western feminists; the second to feminists in the Global South, entreating them to use this “compendium of female courage” as a bridge
between women of different nations.

FOR ANTI-NFL SPORTS-LOVING READERS:



Power Games: A Political History of the Olympics
by Jules Boykoff. Foreword by Dave Zirin

A timely, no-holds barred, critical political history of the modern Olympic Games

“Jules Boykoff, arguably the world’s leading authority on the Olympic Games, skillfully details how the Olympics benefit political elites and corporate interests at the expense of host cities and even democracy itself.” – Ben Carrington, University of Texas at Austin, author of Race, Sport and Politics

FOR A BIOGRAPHY THAT WILL KEEP YOU BUSY UNTIL AT LEAST MAY:



The Prophet: The Life of Leon Trotsky
Isaac Deutscher

Classic biography of Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky, now collected in a single volume.

IF YOU LIKE A BOOK WITH A HAPPY ENDING:



How Will Capitalism End? Essays on a Failing System
Wolfgang Streeck

“At the heart our era's deepening crisis there lies a touching faith that capitalism, free markets and democracy go hand in hand. Wolfgang Streeck's new book deconstructs this myth, exposing the deeply illiberal, irrational, anti-humanist tendencies of contemporary capitalism.” – Yanis Varoufakis 

LOOKING AHEAD TO THE UTOPIAN ROBOT FUTURE:


 

Four Futures: Life After Capitalism
Peter Frase

An exhilarating exploration into the utopias and dystopias that could develop from present society.

“Will robots bring utopia or terror? Peter Frase’s roaming, thoughtful work of ‘social science fiction’ sketches out a frightening future of rich v poor” - Guardian

FOR UTOPIAN THINKERS AND DYSTOPIAN SKEPTICS:



Last Futures: Nature, Technology, and the End of Architecture
Douglas Murphy

In the late 1960s the world was faced with impending disaster: the height of the Cold War, the end of oil and the decline of great cities throughout the world. Out of this crisis came a new generation that hoped to build a better future, influenced by visions of geodesic domes, walking cities and a meaningful connection with nature.

“A fresh and haunting way of explaining what happened to the radical 60s and 70s as a whole, in Murphy’s view quite possibly the last chance the west had of creating a decent and environmentally sustainable society.” – Andy Beckett, Guardian


Utopia

by Thomas More. Supplement by Ursula K. Le Guin. Introduction by China Miéville

Five-hundred-year anniversary edition of More’s Utopia, with writing from major science fiction writers 

“We can’t do without this book. We are all and have always been Thomas More’s children.” – China Miéville

KEEP CALM AND CRY ALL THE TIME:


The Ministry of Nostalgia: Consuming Austerity
Owen Hatherley

In this brilliant polemical rampage, Owen Hatherley shows how our past is being resold in order to defend the indefensible. From the marketing of a “make do and mend” aesthetic to the growing nostalgia for a utopian past that never existed, a cultural distraction scam prevents people grasping the truth of their condition.

“A brave, incisive, elegant and erudite writer, whose books dissect the contemporary built environment to reveal the political fantasies and social realities it embodies.” – Will Self

FOR JOHN BERGER FANS:



Landscapes: John Berger on Art
by John Berger. Edited by Tom Overton

A companion volume to the best-selling Portraits, Landscapes brings together Berger's most penetrating insights into how we may engage with both art and the artist in society.



Portraits: John Berger on Artists
by John Berger. Edited by Tom Overton

“A volume whose breadth and depth bring it close to a definitive self-portrait of one of Britain’s most original thinkers” – Financial Times

IF YOU LOVE WALTER BENJAMIN, YOU WILL LOVE:


The Storyteller: Tales out of Loneliness
by Walter Benjamin Edited by Sam Dolbear, Esther Leslie, and Sebastian Truskolaski

The Storyteller gathers for the first time the fiction of the legendary critic and philosopher Walter Benjamin, best known for his groundbreaking studies of culture and literature, including Illuminations, One-Way Street and The Arcades Project.

Radio Benjamin
by Walter Benjamin. Edited by Lecia Rosenthal. Translated by Jonathan Lutes. With Lisa Harries Schumann and Diana Reese

Delightful and incisive, this is Walter Benjamin channeling his sophisticated thinking to a wide audience, allowing us to benefit from a new voice for one of the twentieth century’s most respected thinkers.

“The German critic was not only a theorist of the media – he was a gifted broadcaster as well.” – Financial Times

THE BESTSELLING BOOK ON ISIS AND THE MIDDLE EAST:

The Age of Jihad: Islamic State and the Great War for the Middle East
Patrick Cockburn

From the award-winning author of The Rise of Islamic State, the essential story of the Middle East’s disintegration.

“A fine and courageous journalist, who has displayed a sustained commitment to laying bare the tribulations of the Middle East...This book confirms Cockburn's reputation as a reporter and analyst.” – Max Hastings, Sunday Times

FOR CLIMATE CHANGE DENIERS:



How Did We Get Into This Mess? Politics, Equality, Nature
George Monbiot

Leading political and environmental commentator on where we have gone wrong, and what to do about it.

“A dazzling command of science and relentless faith in people … I never miss reading him.” – Naomi Klein 

“George Monbiot is always original—both in the intelligence of his opinions and the depth and rigour of his research.” – Brian Eno


Fossil Capital: The Rise of Steam Power and the Roots of Global Warming
Andreas Malm

How capitalism first promoted fossil fuels with the rise of steam power.

“The definitive deep history on how our economic system created the climate crisis. Superb, essential reading from one of the most original thinkers on the subject.” – Naomi Klein

THE BEST BOOK YOU'VE EVER READ ON JEWISH RADICALISM:



Revolutionary Yiddishland: A History of Jewish Radicalism
by Alain Brossat and Sylvia Klingberg. Translated by David Fernbach

“This rich and poignant and often enthralling record traces the Yiddishland revolutionaries from their East European roots through the years of hope and struggle and hideous crimes to the heroic anti-Nazi resistance and beyond. There are many lessons for today, not least the significance of the lively interaction of revolutionary intellectuals and workers and the efforts to integrate the commitment to radical social and economic change with the formation of a Jewish identity that would break sharply from the stultifying tradition and open the way to the aspirations of the Jewish workers’ movement that was at the forefront of revolutionary struggle from its earliest days.” – Noam Chomsky

RADICALLY RETHINK HOW YOU SEE THE CITY:


Vertical: The City from Satellites to Bunkers
Stephen Graham

A revolutionary reimagining of the cities we live in, the air above us, and what goes on in the earth beneath our feet.

“In this panoramic, at times jaw-dropping book, Stephen Graham describes how in recent years the built environment around the world, both above and below ground, has become dramatically more vertical – and more unequal… sharp and memorable… dizzyingly restless… Cities feel different once you’ve read it” – Andy Beckett, Guardian

PSYCHOGEOGRAPHIC DRIFTING THROUGH A RUINED CITY:



Savage Messiah
Laura Oldfield Ford

Savage Messiah collects the entire set of Laura Oldfield Ford’s fanzine to date. Part graphic novel, part artwork, the book is both an angry polemic against the marginalization of the city’s working class and an exploration of the cracks that open up in urban space.

FOR FANS OF BRITISH FILM:



The View from the Train: Cities and Other Landscapes
Patrick Keiller

Essays by the iconic British filmmaker on the relationship between film, cities and landscape.

“Patrick Keiller’s films (including London and Robinson in Space) are some of the most beautiful and evocative images of contemporary urban environments we have; in this collection of lucid and eloquent essays he shows us the theoretical rigour that lies behind his practice. Essential reading for urbanists, cineastes, psychogeographers – and indeed anyone who either lives in cities, or cares about them; so: everyone.” – Will Self

FOR MUSIC FANS:


Dead Children Playing: A Picture Book
Stanley Donwood and Dr. Tchock

A haunting collection of Radiohead artwork from the Grammy Award–winning artist.

Stanley Donwood and the enigmatic Dr Tchock are the elusive duo responsible for Radiohead’s artwork. Containing paintings they have produced in the last decade, this book also contains a cornucopia of never-before-seen artwork. Featuring the apocalyptic scenes of the OK Computer album, the startling, sinister shadow of memory cast onto the present in the Kid A paintings, and the overwhelming information overload of Hail to the Thief’s landscapes of conflict, Dead Children Playing presents some of the most iconic artwork of our time.


The Wire Primers: A Guide to Modern Music
Edited by Rob Young

Since it was founded in 1982, The Wire magazine has covered a vast range of alternative, experimental, underground and non-mainstream music. Now some of that knowledge has been distilled into The Wire Primers: a comprehensive guide to the core recordings of some of the most visionary and inspiring, subversive and radical musicians on the planet, past and present. 

*******

Until Jan 1: ALL our ebooks are 90% off and ALL our print books are 50% off (with free shipping worldwide and bundled ebooks - where available).

Both sales end on Jan 1st at midnight UTC. 

See also our End of Year Highlights and more of our subject specific reading lists here.
 

Filed under: 2016-end-of-year-sale