With mass poisonings, global warming and other tidings of contemporary civilization threatening the planet, shouldn’t we begin to reconsider our unthinking attachment to it?

Feral House’s new expanded edition of Against Civilization adds 18 new essays and feral illustrations by R.L. Tubbesing to the contemporary classic that provides 67 thought-provoking looks into the dehumanizing core of modern civilization, and the ideas that have given rise to the anarcho-primitivist movement. The editor of this compelling anthology is John Zerzan, author of Running on Emptiness (Feral House) and Future Primitive.

“I celebrate John Zerzan’s anthology harboring the best of civilized people’s critiques of civilization. Herein the reader will discover the questions that need to be asked and the insights that beg to be nurtured if humankind and the natural world as we know it are to thrive into the future. This book is that important.”
— Chellis Glendinning, author of My Name is Chellis and I’m in Recovery from Western Civilization

“It is its collective refusal to say ‘Here is civilization: just accept it’ that makes this volume so important. Read it and you will never think of civilization in the same way again. Or put any more faith than a grain of mustard seed in its unimpeded future.”
— Kirkpatrick Sale, author of Rebels Against the Future

“This is an extraordinary collection by the most important anarchist thinker of our time, a potent introduction to, as Zerzan so accurately puts it, the pathology of civilization. For decades now Zerzan has been articulating a practical and theoretical critique of civilization, and this book—though an edited anthology of his own and other people’s essays—brings it all together in a compelling, undeniable way. I love all of Zerzan’s books, but I think I love this one the best.”
— Derrick Jensen, author of A Language Older Than Words

“Is it only terrorists we’re worried about? We are witnessing the collision of civilization and the earth.”
— Al Gore

 

“John Zerzan’s importance does not only consist in his brilliant intelligence, his absolute clearness of analysis and his unequalled dialectical synthesis that clarifies even the most complicated questions, but also in the humanity that fills his thoughts of resistance. Future Primitive Revisited is one more precious gift for us all.”
—Enrico Manicardi,
Author of Liberi dalla Civiltá (Free from Civilization)

 

As our society is stricken with repeated technological disasters, and the apocalyptic problems that go with them, the “neo-primitivist” essays of John Zerzan seem more relevant than ever.

 

“Future Primitive,” the core innovative essay of Future Primitive Revisited, has been out of print for years. This new edition is updated with never-before-printed essays that speak to a youthful political movement and influential writers such as Derrick Jensen and Paul Theroux.

 

“Of course we should go primitive. This doesn’t mean abandoning material needs, tools, or skills, but ending our obsession with such concerns. Declaring for community, our true origin: personal autonomy, trust, mutual support in pursuit of all the joys and troubles of life. Society was a trap—massive, demanding, impersonal and debilitating from day one. So hurry back to the community, friends, and welcome all the consequences of such an orientation. The reasons for fear and despair will only multiply if we remain in this brutal and dangerous state of civilization.”—Blok 45 publishing, Belgrade

 

 

John Zerzan, anarcho-primitivist philosopher, ideological friend to Ted Kaczynski, and mentor to the anti-Globalist anarchists who set the world aflame in Seattle and Europe, is back with Running on Emptiness: The Pathology of Civilization.

Author of Elements of Refusal, Questioning Technology, Future Primitive and Other Essays, Why Hope? and the editor of Against Civilization: Readings and Reflections, Zerzan’s anti-technology writings are widely considered the most radical tonic to the crisis of our time.

The Return of Black Nationalism and the Death of White Supremacy delves into the dynamic history and powerful future of Black Nationalism in the United States. From the dark days of slavery to today’s fight for equality, this compelling book uncovers the relentless struggle of African Americans against systemic white supremacy, a legacy embedded in the very foundation of the country.

Professor Vincent Adejumo takes readers on a fascinating journey through time, unraveling the rich history of Black Nationalism and its role as a steadfast defense against white supremacy. He shines a light on the remarkable individuals and leaders who have shaped Black American identity from the 1700s to the present, bringing their stories to life with vivid detail and insightful analysis.

Discover a different America through Adejumo’s eyes, where the concept of ‘Separate but Equal’ is reinterpreted and the essence of Blackness is celebrated. This book not only explores the past but also connects it to today’s economic and political landscape, revealing the lasting influence of Black Nationalism.

Whether you’re a history enthusiast or a curious reader, The Return of Black Nationalism and the Death of White Supremacy offers a fresh perspective on American history, uncovering the unsung heroes and unexpected villains who have shaped the nation’s journey. This is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the profound impact of Black Nationalism on America’s past, present, and future.

“The crisis deepens. Everyday life is plundered as much as the physical environment. Our predicament points us toward a solution. The voluntary abandonment of the industrial mode of existence is not self-renunciation, but a healing return.” — from Twilight of the Machines

The mentor of the green anarchist and neo-primitive movements is back with his first book in six years, confronting civilization, mass society, and modernity and technoculture—both the history of its developing crisis and the possibilities for its human and humane solutions.

As John Zerzan writes, “These dire times may yet reveal invigorating new vistas of thought and action. When everything is at stake, all must be confronted and superseded. At this moment, there is the distinct possibility of doing just that.”

John Zerzan can now credibly claim the honor of being America’s most famous anarchist. His writing is sharp, uncompromising, and tenacious.”—Derrick Jensen, Utne Reader

Previous works from John Zerzan include Elements of Refusal, Future Primitive, Against Civilization, Running on Emptiness, and Questioning Technology. He has also contributed to Apocalypse Culture, Telos, and Fifth Estate. An Oregonian with degrees from Stanford University and San Francisco State University, he is an editor of Green Anarchy magazine.

Originally printed in 1935, War Is a Racket is General Smedley Butler’s frank speech describing his role as a soldier as nothing more than serving as a puppet for big-business interests. In addition to photos from the notorious 1932 anti-war book The Horror of It by Frederick A. Barber, this book includes two never-before-published anti-interventionist essays by General Butler. The introduction discusses why General Butler went against the corporate war machine and how he exposed a fascist coup d’etat plot against President Franklin Roosevelt. Widely appreciated and referenced by left- and right-wingers alike, this is an extraordinary argument against war – more relevant now than ever.

“More timely than ever.”
— Ed Rampell, LA Alternative Press

“Butler is scathing in his description of how the U.S. government wasted the lives of those soldiers who died but also of those who survived… A stunning condemnation of U.S. militarism and it ends with a demand that rings true down to today – ‘To hell with war.’”
— Ashley Smith, Socialist Worker

“America had seen its own attempt at a Fascist coup. Why, then, is this incident in U.S. history not better known? Why don’t children learn in school about the plot to seize the United States government?… The time has obviously come for Smedley Butler to have his moment in the sun. Butler’s attack on the military-industrial complex does more than expose war for the racket it is: It also gives the antiwar movement unmatched credibility.”
— Ken Mondschein, corporatemofo.com

“There is little likelihood one will encounter a putdown and discounting of armed service, while questioning the reason for it, by a top experienced commander, anywhere within a light year of Marine General Smedley D. Butler’s WAR IS A RACKET. And there is utterly nothing comparable to the grim anthology of photographs devoted to the unspeakable hideousness of the bloody gore of modern – since Napoleonic times – warfare, THE HORROR OF IT. The American public recoiled from these two works when they were published, in close sequence, two generations ago… We can hope that this dual masterpiece at hand, in quite a different context, does a better job of reducing the level of ignorance.”
— James J. Martin

John Zerzan, a respected voice of anarcho-primitivist thought, is back with his call to action to survive and thrive, overcoming our modern crisis.  Instead of viewing the decline of modern civilization as something to mourn, he sees the opportunity for us to reclaim our true humanity. In When We Are Human, Zerzan explores biological and social science discoveries, then invests the abstract findings with history and literature to create a syncretic understanding of how we ended up in a civilization-ending state.  More than his previous works, Zerzan, as an elder in his community, shows us our past errors to ensure a more meaningful future for our next iteration of humanity.

Controversial green anarchist John Zerzan’s latest blast against technology, complete with an introduction by Lang Gore

The infamous eco-anarchist John Zerzan whose books have resulted in recent interviews by Vice and Believer magazines, checks in with further provocative articles about the chaotic results of civilization and technology.

Says novelist Lang Gore in his introduction:

“The present collection of essays continues the overarching thrust of John’s scholarship, unveiling the post-apocalyptic nature of our times by noting the apocalypse was yesterday, several thousand years ago, to be precise, and that nothing produced by civilization can ever redeem the systematic attempt it has undertaken these (very) few millennia to destroy or alienate any human connection with the earth.

“In fact, when civilized Europeans imposed themselves everywhere on Earth, they created a terminal crisis for themselves by their very contact with indigenous societies. Suddenly, those with eyes to see and ears to hear could recognize that patriarchy, property and authority, and certainly slavery, were neither necessary nor desirable, let alone determined by ‘human nature.’”