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Anarchist Studies Vol 13 / 2. 2005. Lawrence and Wishart, London. Pbk. pp101-191. ISBN 1-905007-33-7. Subscription £20.00 for 2 issues. ISSN 0967-3393.

It's been a long time since I've seen a copy of Anarchist Studies, and given the price, it's going to be some time before I see another, unless i can find cheap copies secondhand somewhere!

However, having got past the gripe about the price, I'll briefly summarise the contents of this issue.

Judy Greenway kicks things off with a guest editorial on anarchism, terrorism and the media, in the light of the July 2005 bombings in London, and it's a theme that is picked up by Niall Whelean's article on anarchist morality and violence focusing on the writings of Peter Kropotkin and Luigi Galleani. It will be interesting to see what reception the new edition of Galleani's writings receive in the current political climate.

More timeless in their applicability are Harold Barclay's ruminations on "power" which he sees (correctly in my view) as an inevitable part of any society, the problem being to diffuse it and ensure it isn't misused and is accountable to the wider community. Thomas S. Martin weighs in with a rather New Age-y look at anarchism and how it must change to take account of recent scientific and philosophical research and understandings.  I suspect many will find this all a bit vague and insufficiently grounded in more traditional anarchist concerns.

Aaron Lakoff has an interview with Yossi on being  young, queer and radical in Israel today. This is a fascinating interview and well worth reading to get a picture of parts of Israeli society and politics that are rarely mentioned in mainstream reporting.

The features section also has some reminiscences of John Crump, who died last year, from people who had never met him IRL. To the best of my knowledge I never met him either but his work on Japanese anarchism and money-less socialism is justifiably worth commemorating.

The reviews section is equally interesting. Benjamin Franks discusses the collected works of Maurice Brinton (reviewed by myself elsewhere on this website), and there are reviews on topics as varied as French anarchsm between the wars, Emma Goldman's time in America, short stories from the spanish anarchist press (1880-1911), a couple of KSL pamphlets, a couple of titles covering the anti-globalisation movement around the world and an edition of Elisee Reclus' account of New Orleans in the period immediately prior to the American Civil War.

There's no doubting the quality and care taken by the authors in this periodical. Their writing is lucid and informative and anyone with an interest in anarchism is recommended to read it if you can find a copy. But the big sticking point remains the price. £10.00 for a 100 page journal is simply too expensive for many people to buy a copy (and how many institutions will stump up £50.00 for the dubious privilege of putting 2 issues on their shelves.)

Content-wise 8/10

Value-for-money 3/10

Richard Alexander