Tressell: The Real Story of 'The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists'

Harker, Dave

ISBN 10: 1842773852 / ISBN 13: 9781842773857

Published by Zed Books, 2003

The book has been read but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Some minor wear to the spine. Seller Inventory # GOR004956571

Synopsis:

Not many novels about working-class life have been reprinted over a hundred times in the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, Germany, Russia, Holland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria and Japan. Even fewer have sold over a million copies. Hardly any have been so often adapted for the stage, or featured on TV and radio. Above all, none have been passed from hand to hand as often by workers, and taken to their hearts. Robert Tressell‘s novel The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists is straightforward and highly readable, but it is also a very odd book. After all, novels don‘t usually explain key points of Marxist theory. True, it has humour, parody, pathos, irony, rage, little victories, defeats, arguments and ideas, and it is brim full of contempt for the ruling class. But what practical political appeal can a tale of isolated Socialists, fighting for a Co-operative Commonwealth, possibly have today? Dave Harker describes Tressell‘s life, puts his book in its historical context, and traces its success over the past ninety-odd years. This is the story of the left in Britain, from the Socialist Federation in the late 19th century, through to the trade union movement and New Labour today.

About the Author: Dave Harker recently retired from Manchester Metropolitan University. He co-edited The Big Red Song Book (Pluto Press, 1977 & 1981), wrote One for the Money: Politics and Popular Song (Hutchinson, 1980) and co-editored the Open University Press's Popular Music in Britain series (1985).

Bibliographic Details

Title: Tressell: The Real Story of 'The Ragged ...
Publisher: Zed Books
Publication Date: 2003
Binding: Paperback
Condition: Good