A fascinating radical anthropological/historical perspective on state formation.

Let me start off with what I didn't like. I didn't give the book 4 stars for one thing because I was made a little uncomfortable by sparse use of sources, although I did like that the footnotes were all available to... ...more

A whole mess. I was really looking forward to this one, as I previously read Against the Grain by James C. Scott, which deals with the same subject but ended up disappointing, so I was hoping a more deliberately anarchist viewpoint might get clearer results. I shouldn't have bothered: James C. Sc... ...more

It is impossible for me to judge its scholarly merits, so in that sense I find it hard to review this book. Probably a much better book is possible, it is a bit jumpy from topic to topic and covers thousands of years of human history. Peter Gelderloos is not an academic historian. This is a polit... ...more

One of my favorite books about Anarchy is "Anarchy Works," also by Peter Gelderloos. Whenever anyone asks me for a recommendation for introductory books about anarchism, it's still the first thing that comes to my mind. It covers a more-than-fair amount of sub-topics, but maintains its readabilit... ...more