----- Original Message ----- From: Lani Riccobuono <lani at akpress.org> Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2004 15:33:53 -0700 To: lani <lani at akpress.org> Subject: Happy May Day from AK Press
> "It may surprise some of our American citizens to learn that in this country
> of 'free speech' there is no easier thing in the world than to sentence
> persons to death for expressing their views." --August Spies
>
> Hey Folks,
>
> Everyone here at AK Press wishes you a happy May Day! We also wish that more
> people in this country knew what International Workers' Day is all about.
> The United States is one of the few nations that doesn't recognize the
> holiday. Which is pretty weird considering that it was here that organized
> labor first passed a resolution that "eight hours shall constitute a legal
> day's work, from and after May 1, 1886." It was here that hundreds of
> thousands of workers went on strike to win that eight-hour day. It was here,
> in Chicago, that their victory was christened with the blood of the
> Haymarket martyrs.
>
> It's also here that the government has organized a long campaign of enforced
> amnesia about the true meaning of the day. In 1894, President Cleveland
> tried to bury the history of class struggle by declaring the first Monday in
> September to be "Labor Day," a tame, patriotic version of the real thing. In
> 1958, Eisenhower added insult to injury by making May 1st "Law Day"--a
> twisted irony considering the hand-picked jury and biased judge that
> condemned innocent men to death in Chicago.
>
> For a very readable history lesson, check out this page from the Struggle
> collection: http://www.struggle.ws/about/mayday.html.
>
> For a broader perspective, head to
> http://slash.autonomedia.org/article.pl?sid=02/05/02/1029240 for Peter
> Linebaugh's "The Incomplete, True, Authentic and Wonderful History of May
> Day" (also in AK Press' forthcoming book, SERPENTS IN THE GARDEN: LIASONS
> WITH CULTURE & SEX, edited by Alexander Cockburn & Jeffrey St. Clair--see
> below for more info).
>
> Also check out your local Indymedia site for May Day Events in your area.
> Workers of the World, rock on!
>
> **NEW & UPCOMING FROM AK**
>
> Speaking of books from AK Press, we've been damn busy the last few months.
> Here's what's hot off the press:
>
> For anyone who wants to know what nasty bits are lurking in their food,
> there's ANIMAL INGREDIENTS FROM A TO Z (Third Edition), the E.G. Smith
> Collective's bible for vegetarians, vegans, the health conscious and caring
> consumers. It's a comprehensive listing of animal ingredients that's easy to
> navigate with supplemental information on vegan nutrition, food alternatives
> and contact information for animal advocacy groups.
> http://www.akpress.org/dosearch.php?itemid=4404
>
> The Biotic Baking Brigade's recipe for the public humiliation of public
> officials, PIE ANY MEANS NECESSARY, outlines the fine art of landing a
> freshly-baked delicacy in the face of the reactionary, pompous and otherwise
> deserving. An intoxicating melange of history, analysis, tactics and recipes
> for this most edible of the political direct action techniques!
> http://www.akpress.org/dosearch.php?itemid=4405
>
> Author Katya Komisaruk, perhaps the only person admitted to Harvard Law
> School while serving a five-year prison sentence, serves up BEAT THE HEAT:
> HOW TO HANDLE ENCOUNTERS WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT. Covering everything from how
> to read a search warrant to what to tell a judge to get your sentence
> reduced, this amazing book is like getting a one-on-one coaching session
> with your lawyerŠso you can learn what to do before trouble's at your door.
> http://www.akpress.org/dosearch.php?itemid=4388
>
> Easily the greatest of hobo biographies, Jim Tully's BEGGARS OF LIFE takes
> us across the seamy underbelly of pre-WW1 America on freight trains, and
> inside hobo jungles and brothels, while narrowly avoiding railroad bulls and
> the wardens of order. "He writes keenly of what he has observed keenly, and
> his descriptions of long night rides on mail trains and the death of
> 'Oklahoma Red' are little short of fascinating." [New York Times]
> http://www.akpress.org/dosearch.php?itemid=4389
>
> Due out in the next few months:
>
> LANGUAGE AND POLITICS, Noam Chomsky
> An enormous chronological collection of over fifty interviews conducted with
> Chomsky from 1968 to the present.
>
> SERPENTS IN THE GARDEN: LIASONS WITH CULTURE & SEX, Alexander Cockburn &
> Jeffrey St. Clair
> The latest in the award-winning Counterpunch series. An explosion of
> voracious, opinionated and witty fireworks on the unexpected intersections
> of politics, art, music, architecture and sex.
>
> ANARCHO-SYNDICALISM, Rudolph Rocker
> The greatest introduction to Anarchism and anarchist practice ever penned,
> by one of its leading theoreticians.
>
> OUT OF THE NIGHT, Jan Valtin
> From double agent in the Nazis' Gestapo to Communist Party official,
> Valtin's spellbinding autobiography gives an unflinching portrayal of the
> internal machinations of both parties.
>
> FREE WOMEN OF SPAIN, Martha Ackelsberg
> A comprehensive study of the Spanish Revolution's Mujeres Libres that
> intertwines interviews with the women themselves and analysis connecting
> them to modern feminist movements.
>
> THE VOLTAIRINE DE CLEYRE READER
> An indispensable, fully annotated collection of the works of this leading
> intellectual, activist, speaker and writer who had a tremendous impact on
> the American anarchist, feminist and labor movements.
>
> AT WAR WITH ASIA, Noam Chomsky
> A reprint of Chomsky's classic guide to understanding both the past and
> current logic of imperial force. More relevant than ever!
>
>
> **FRIENDS OF AK**
>
> All that publishing, besides making eight-hour days pretty uncommon here at
> AK, costs a lot of money. We've put out around 20 books in the past year and
> hope to do even more in the next 12 months. Friends of AK Press is a way you
> can directly help us realize these and many more such projects. Friends
> agree to pay a minimum of $20 per month into our AK Press account (of
> course, we have no objection to larger sums). All money received goes
> directly into our publishing projects.
>
> As a Friend you would not only help keep the presses rolling here at AK but
> for the duration of your membership you'll receive, as they appear, one free
> copy of every AK Press title complete with free shipping. That can mean
> hundreds of dollars' worth of great books, DVDs and CDs shipped for FREE to
> each Friend of AK. And to sweeten the deal even more, Friends of AK are
> also entitled to a 10% discount on each and every order of any item we
> publish or distribute for the duration of their membership.
>
> To become a Friend of AK Press today go to our website:
> http://www.akpress.org/friends_bottom.php.
>
> **AK WEBSITE**
>
> Get ready. Our website will be getting a major overhaul this summer, with
> better searches, easier navigation and new features. In the meantime,
> www.akpress.org is still the place to go for the most up-to-date news about
> what we're doing, our newest items, and much more. Check us out for May Day
> stuff like:
>
> Haymarket T-shirt
> Wear your politics on your, uh, chestŠand let people know what this day is
> really about.
> http://www.akpress.org/dosearch.php?itemid=3854
>
> Anarcho-Syndicalist Flag
> The classic version, in all its black & red glory.
> http://www.akpress.org/dosearch.php?itemid=1205
>
> AK Shoulder Bag
> US made sweat-free luxury 'shoulder' bag. Or a poor person's bicycle courier
> bag. Room for a few hundred flyers and an entire May Day picnic.
> http://www.akpress.org/dosearch.php?itemid=4397
>
> While you're at it, click on the AK Bookmobile link
> (http://www.akpress.org/bookmobile_bottom.php) to find out when we, or our
> distant comrades, will be tabling in your part of the world. If you live in
> the bay area, it's also the place to find a list of all the music, film and
> book-related events happening in the AK warehouse here in Oakland. Stop by
> and meet us in the flesh!
>
> Thanks for your support,
>
> The AK Press Collective
>
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