The History of the Haymarket Affair

by Henry David

True crime. Edition not noted. Black cloth covers lightly rubbed, spine ends bumped, spine faded. Dust jacket rubbed, badly torn on the rear panel with cello tape repairs on the verso, price clipped. Interior clean and tight, pages toned.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1936

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only read the first half, since I was interested in the context of the Haymarket affair and not the minutiae. Pretty dry reading, but there were some valuable points.

There is an introduction to American labor in the late 19th century, with lots of statistics thrown out along the way. There is also an introduction to the social revolutionaries in America. David seems at pains to not identify them with modern anarchists insofar as they did not claim common intellectual heritage -- a fair point as far as it goes, I guess, but how far is that?

The deeply German character of the radical scene is the most important facet that I gleaned from it all, and that the injustice of the Haymarket affair may have served to mainstream and Americanize a radical stance in the long term. In any case, worth the skim.

[Cynthia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh God, so boring.