or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
21 used & new from £7.74
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Demanding the Impossible: A History of Anarchism
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

Demanding the Impossible: A History of Anarchism (Paperback)

by Peter Marshall (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
RRP: £14.99
Price: £10.47 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £4.52 (30%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, November 10? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
14 new from £8.24 7 used from £7.74
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover 3 used & new from £62.00
Paperback (POLS) 2 used & new from £25.48

Frequently Bought Together

Demanding the Impossible: A History of Anarchism + No Gods, No Masters: An Anthology of Anarchism + Anarchism: A Collection of Revolutionary Writings
Price For All Three: £29.59

Some of these items ship sooner than the others. Show details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

No Gods, No Masters: An Anthology of Anarchism

No Gods, No Masters: An Anthology of Anarchism

by Daniel Guerin
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £12.48
Anarchism: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

Anarchism: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

by Colin Ward
4.6 out of 5 stars (5)  £4.78
Anarchism: A Collection of Revolutionary Writings

Anarchism: A Collection of Revolutionary Writings

by Kropotkin
5.0 out of 5 stars (2)  £6.64
Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution (Dover Books on History, Political and Social Science)

Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution (Dover Books on History, Political and Social Science)

by Peter Kropotkin
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £4.62
Anarchism and Other Essays

Anarchism and Other Essays

by Emma Goldman
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £4.50
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 784 pages
  • Publisher: HarperPerennial; New edition edition (19 Nov 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0006862454
  • ISBN-13: 978-0006862451
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 4.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 33,411 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #2 in  Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Government & Politics > Political Science & Ideology > Anarchism
    #3 in  Books > History > Political History > Anarchism
    #12 in  Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Government & Politics > Political Science & Ideology > Socialism

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
   History Anarchy opens new browser window
SHOP.COM/compare  -  Buy History Anarchy Compare 100s of Shops 
  
 

Product Description

Review

'Massive, scholarly, genuinely internationalist and highly enjoyable.' David Widgery, Observer 'An exhaustive and authoritative study which is bound to become the standard account.' John Gray, The Times 'Indispensable.' Richard Boston, Guardian 'This is the most comprehensive account of anarchist thought ever written. Marshall's knowledge is formidable and his enthusiasm engaging.' J.P. Pick, Scotsman 'Large, labyrinthine, tentative: for me these are all adjectives of praise when applied to works of history, and Demanding the Impossible meets all of them.' George Woodcock, Independent 'I trust that Marshall's survey of the whole heart-warming, head-challenging subject will have a large circulation!It is a handbook of real history, which should make it more valuable in the long run than all the mighty textbooks on market economics and such-like ephemeral topics.' Michael Foot, Evening Standard 'Reading about anarchism is stimulating, funny and sad. What more can you ask of a book?' Isabel Colegate, The Times 'Interest in anarchy!was reawakened by the publication of Peter Marshall's massively comprehensive "Demanding the Impossible", a brick-sized history that received rave reviews.' Peter Beaumont, Observer


The Times

'An exhaustive and authoritative study which is bound to become the standard account.'
See all Product Description

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(1)
(1)
(1)
See all 5 tags...

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Demanding the Impossible: A History of Anarchism
82% buy the item featured on this page:
Demanding the Impossible: A History of Anarchism 4.5 out of 5 stars (6)
£10.47
Anarchism: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
8% buy
Anarchism: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) 4.6 out of 5 stars (5)
£4.78
No Gods, No Masters: An Anthology of Anarchism
6% buy
No Gods, No Masters: An Anthology of Anarchism 5.0 out of 5 stars (1)
£12.48
Bash the Rich: True Life Confessions of an Anarchist in the UK
2% buy
Bash the Rich: True Life Confessions of an Anarchist in the UK 4.8 out of 5 stars (4)
£7.99
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars When you've learnt how to read, Read this book -The best book on anarchism, 31 Aug 2006
By A. Tatton "tatton" (stoke newington) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I always lend people my favourite books and this is one of them. I love this book. Not only is it brilliant on anarchism, but it's an excellent, passionately argued history book too. I think it should be on the reading list of every politics and philosophy student in the country. Of course, anarchists are self-defining but most of all we've got a better sense of humour than our socialist friends (although most of time we morph into them on inappropriate ocassions).

If I had to criticise, and this is a criticism of every anarchist book I've ever read, it's a bit low on economic theory. The philosophy could also be explored further - eg secular idealism as a form of anarchist thought. Love, for example.

I love it.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars It is demanding. And it is impossible., 7 Feb 2005
This vast compendium dumps the novice directly into the flow of anarchist theory. And what a refreshing thing it is too! Here we have Chinese monks, Russian princes, Irish playwrights, English poets, French revolutionaries, American gun-nuts, Spanish militias and German students. The author has cast his net wide and drawn together a wide group of individuals whose only common ground is their willingness to be in control of their own lives. It creates the idea that anarchism is an ancient philospohy, protean and mercurial and as a result you are left wondering just what you have read. Because there is no consolidated philosophy here - which makes sense as to lay down rules would be against the principles of Anarchy. Bored with conventional wisdom? Try this.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An enlightening and attractive study of anarchism, 24 Oct 2001
By A Customer
I was new to the philosophy of anarchism when I bought this book...but not any more. This book contains a vast ocean of knowledge (with over 700 pages!) on the subjects of individualism and anarchism from the philosophers of the ancient world which have had great influence on the development of anarchism to classic anarchist thinkers and to the relevance of anarchism today. Demanding the Impossible is a fantastic book written by Peter Marshall with as much zeal as I had in reading every page.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive, Vast, Inspiring
Peter Marshall covers the history and pre-history of anarchism from the ideology and spiritual teachings of the Taoist masters and the Stoics and Cynics of ancient Greece right up... Read more
Published 3 months ago by S. Brotherston

4.0 out of 5 stars Encyclopedia Anarchica
There are many books on the subject of anarchist theory and history, this is easily the most comprehensive and extensive. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Mr. Julian W. Gibson

4.0 out of 5 stars A good primer on an under researched subject
I have a number of problems with this book in terms of some of the figures included, such as Ghandi, Tolstoy etc. Read more
Published on 13 Mar 2001

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject













i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.