The notorious, radical survival guide to living free as a revolutionary from one of the greatest activists of the 20th century. As the infamous activist Abbie Hoffman sat in Cook County jail in 1970, awaiting what would become known as the Trial of the Chicago Seven. Hoffman and six conspirators were prosecuted by the US government for their part in anti-Vietnam War and counterculture protests outside the 1968 Democratic National Convention. It was in jail that Hoffman would begin to write Steal This Book. Labelled by publishers as a book that would "end free speech" and causing scandals with its advice on how to get free food, housing, transportation, medical care, and more, as well as how to run a guerrilla movement, Steal This Book is a revolutionary's manual to "survival in the prison that is Amerika." Hoffman criss-crossed the country, ferreting out alternative ways of getting along in America—some illegal, and all radical—using his own decades of experience in living and fighting underground. Split into three sections to Survive! Fight! and Liberate!, Steal This Book captures the spirit of those years, describing actions and techniques that were already in use in all 50 states and sharing them with the masses.This edition gives you a window into the movements of the sixties and seventies. While many of the holes in the system which Hoffman exposes have since been plugged up, the spirit of revolution, the dedicated to undermining injustice, and the earnestness of activism remain—in this book and in activism today. In 1967 a book called "F--k The System" was published privately under the pseudonym George Metesky, a favorite fake name of political theater artist Abbie Hoffman. It was the prototype for this edition, in 1971 greatly expanded and retitled "Steal This Book" and distributed by Grove Press from a label called Pirate Editions. Both books were designed to help political radicals on the lam from the authorities maintain their existence off the radar screens of polite society. The latter book (in three sections, Survive!, Fight! and Liberate!) describes late 1960's resources for free food, clothing, transportation, education, medical care and communication. The final pages offer specifics for NYC, LA, Chicago and San Francisco, and also a list of "other books worth stealing". Draft dodging, woodworking, legal aid, locksmithing, avoiding listening devices... it's all here, at least as it existed then. "Steal This Book" was Hoffman's fourth book, with "F--k The System", "Revolution For The Hell Of It" and "Woodstock Nation" coming earlier in that order. Conceived as an instruction manual for radical social change, Steal This Book is divided into three sections--Survive! Fight! and Liberate! Ever wonder how to start a guerilla radio station? Or maybe you want to brush up on your shoplifting techniques. Perhaps you're just looking for the best free entertainment in New York City. (The Frick Collection--"Great when you're stoned.") Packed with information, advice, and Abbie's unique outlaw wisdom ("Avoid all needle drugs--the only dope worth shooting is Richard Nixon."), Steal This Book is a timeless reminder that, no matter what the struggle, freedom is always worth fighting for
A driving force behind the social revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, Hoffman inspired a generation to challenge the status quo. Meant as a practical guide for the aspiring hippie, Steal This Book captures Hoffman’s puckish tone and became a cult classic with over 200,000 copies sold. Outrageously illustrated by R. Crumb, it nevertheless conveys a serious message to all would-be revolutionaries: You don’t have to take it anymore. “All Power to the Imagination was his credo. Abbie was the best.” — Studs Terkel
"In a country such as Amerika, there is bound to be a hell-of-a-lot of food lying around just waiting to be ripped off."
