Books To Change The World

Description

One of the first and longest continually publishing Marxist book publishers in the United States, International Publishers has been breaking barriers since its inception in 1924. From the classics of Marxism-Leninism to the Life and Writings of Frederick Douglass; from The Communist Manifesto to the eleven volume History of the Labor Movement in the United States, IP has been in the forefront of the struggle for African American equality, workers rights, and socialism for over one hundred years.

Founded by Alexander Trachtenberg, IP is also one of the most maligned book publishers in US history due to its close relationship with the Communist Party USA and affinity for world socialism. During the McCarthy era, Trachtenberg was thrown in jail and IP’s books were removed from book stores and libraries. However, it continued to publish groundbreaking works of historiography, philosophy, internationalism, and socialism.

Now, in celebration of IP’s 100th Anniversary, we’re excited to offer this collection of essays and documents. Included in this volume are a selection of presentations first delivered at the “IP @ 100” symposium hosted by New York University’s Tamiment Library in October 2023, as well as a small collection of documents that constitute and add to the symposium’s visual exhibit; also included are the pamphlets Books On Trial and Publisher On Trial, originally printed in 1952 by the Committee to Defend Alexander Trachtenberg.

This is a must have for serious students of Marxist historiography—for anyone standing against book bans and censorship. It is an important resource for academics, students, and general readers. This book will come as a welcomed challenged to far-right, fascist attempts to legislate what can and can’t be read.