Wobblies

A graphic history of the Industrial Workers of the World

Paul Buhle and Nicole Schulman, Verso, paperback, 256 pages, £16.00

The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) celebrated its centenary last year and this effervescent history of the movement in graphic art is a wonderful contribution to labour history.

The book relates the story of US workers' struggles and much more. The IWW promoted aggressive, industrial unionism, backing strikes, sit-ins and other forms of direct action.

It also tells of individual militants such as Elizabeth Gurly Flynn and Big Bill Haywood, Emma Goldman and the struggle for birth control and the activist-journalism of John Reed and Louise Bryant. The IWW was a vigorous opponent of the First World War.

The book should be an inspiration to today's union activists. It not only suggests tactics to improve union organisation but relives a spirit of confidence in unions that should not be forgotten. As the song goes, "there's power in the union".