"Alexander Berkman is one of the lost heroes of American radicalism, a rare pure voice of rebellion . . . This anthology is a valuable treasure."--"Howard Zinn"

"Includes everything an aspiring revolutionary could want."--"Los Angeles Reader"

A paperback reissue featuring a new introduction by Howard Zinn. Alexander Berkman was a 20th century American revolutionary. Like the abolitionist John Brown before him, Berkman was hugely idealistic, ready to go to the furthest extreme of self-sacrifice and violence on behalf of justice and civil rights.

He decided to assassinate industrialist Henry Clay Frick after reading in the newspaper that Pinkertons hired by Frick had opened fire on the Homestead strikers, killing men, women and children. Berkman's bungled attempt cost him 15 years in a federal penitentiary. Upon his release, he became an effective agitator against conscription, was again imprisoned and eventually deported to Russia, where he saw firsthand the early days of Bolshevism. Berkman's writings remain a lasting and impassioned record of intense political transformation.

"Life of an Anarchist" contains "Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist," Berkman's account of his years in prison; "The Bolshevik Myth," his eyewitness account of the early days of the Russian Revolution; and "The ABC of Anarchism," the classic text on the nature of anarchism in the 20th century. Also included are a selection of letters between Berkman and his life-long companion Emma Goldman, and a generous sampling from Berkman's other publications.

Jailed for 14 years in a federal prison for attempting to assassinate steel magnate Henry Clay Frick, Alexander Berkman became a famous and effective agitator in America. Eventually he was deported to Russia where he saw first-hand the early days of Bolshevism. Gene Fellner is an activist and artist living in Jersey City, New Jersey. Howard Zinn is the author of the million-selling "A People's History of the United States."