That is a really good question, although i can not give you an official answer not even sure if there is one, i can tell you when i was working in a public library the following subject books were taken. Thomas is not his real name has stolen a number books, it turns out, from a variety of publishers and not just ziff davis. Written in 1970 and published in 1971, the book exemplified the counterculture of the sixties. I was told about steal this book fourty years ago when on a kibbutz with some amerikans as abbie calls them. If you think people are stealing books they want to read and thatd be the immediate thought, then youd expect much more wide range of individual choices and fewer books stolen in one theft. Though absolutely no respect is given to those in law enforcement, hoffman does preach respect for other revolutionaries and those who are merely the employees of those youre ripping off. Steal this book covers the turf from venereal disease and free movies. I remember reading a while ago that very little copies were actually stolen. Unlike surreptitiously lifting gummy bears from walmart, the act of stealing a book reveals a lot about the character, or at least the literary tastes, of the thief. Instead, it discloses questions, misunderstandings and arguments, making this book part suspense story, part users manual, part script for a standup comedy. From the first moment that the coronavirus alert covid19 was declared, we have adopted demanding containment measures, preventing the contagion of.
Steal this book was a revolutionary work of its time, written by hoffman in jail, a manual for the revolution that was supposed to come, but didnt. The book sold more than a quarter of a million copies between april and november 1971. Not just ball games but entire world series have turned on a steal. Did you ever steal a copy of abbie hoffmans book steal. A short excerpt from alvin sloans 1999 documentary short. The grave diggers handbook, a training book about grave digging, which liesel meminger protagonist found lying in the snow at werner memingers funeral.
If you think people are stealing to sell to other bookstores then theyre more likely to steal 12 copies of one popular title, maximising the price. Steal this book signed by hoffman, abbie and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. A thief has stolen a book titled steal this book from a modern art exhibition in switzerland. Faust the dog, written by mattheus ottleberg, a christmas gift. No, the argument is that stolen books lead to fewer sales. If the new york times were to compile a most stolen books list, near the top would be the beat generation classics howl, by alan ginsberg, and on the road, by jack kerouac. If you stole steal this album or steal this book, would you get in. It had a sort of cult like status among certain sub groups of berkeley undergraduates. Abbie hoffman wrote steal this book while incarcerated.
Steal this book is a book written by abbie hoffman. Stolen books to steal a book is an elegant offense. It has been in print continuously for more than four decades, and it has educated and inspired countless thousands of. Many bookstores refused to carry the book, because so many patrons followed the advice of the book s title and stole it. Sure, the 60s are dead, and we live in a new time, but what abbie hoffman reminds us of is a time when new ways of thinking were espoused. Better kids institute michael gililland experience seeing and knowing. An index of tropes about robbery, stealing, and theft. Also up there, not surprisingly, would be steal this book, the popular 70s hippie guide on.
Abbie hoffman is a consummate hypocrite, writing an entire tome about how rotten capitalism is, while enjoying the benefits of capitalism. The organisers of the basel shift festival have decided not to report the theft to the police yet, and hope the thief will return the book. In the introduction to steal this book, famous 1960s protest organizer abbie hoffman describes the work as a manual for survival in the prison that is amerika, spelling the countrys name incorrectly to show disrespect for the law. Steal this book covers the turf from venereal disease and free moviesdid you know that you can have, just by writing a post card, a free copy of the movie, more fun with parakeets. Steal this book is, in a way, a manual of survival in the prison that is amerika. A thief has stolen the book steal this book from an art.
Stealing is illegal, ergo, you get to meet the judge with the other scumbags on monday morning. In with one stone, some manticoran spies pretend to be caught doing this in order to account for the empty suitcases from the espionage gear they had just disposed of. The times just did an unscientific survey to discover the most stolen book in the united kingdom. In april last year, a glasgow man was jailed for 26 months for selling stolen books worth. I asked indie bookstores to tell us about their most stolen books, and based on their responses, i. Hoffmans difficulties in getting book pub and in getting. It said steal this book, not legally acquire this book right now for free. He had sold an estimated 35,000 stolen books a year. Shoplifters at book stores, also known as book shops, may be either amateur or professional thieves. If you got caught stealing abbie hoffmans steal this book, or system of a downs steal this album, or any other item. His copy of my book has been up on amazon since october 23 of last year, which was also my. He seems to cut through everything unimportant, zoning in on the meat of life with.
One of the things abbie hoffman was famous for was his manuscript steal this book. In the book you also learn that you can get your very own free elk or american buffalo from the department of the interior, and that you can acquire cheap guns and ammunition by starting a national rifle association gun club in your parents basement. Among the other books stolen were early works by galileo, isaac newton, leonardo da vinci and a 1569 edition of dantes divine. I doubt it, because there are emotionally gripping books as well as dull songs i dont think theres a category of books that get stolen more often than others, other than the category where the title is a command to steal. In the amazon internet age finding a book is now so easy. Written in 1970, the book exemplified the counterculture of the sixties, mainly focusing on ways to fight the. This book traces the history of the stolen base and stealing in the major leagues from its humble beginnings through its current status as an indispensable part of a teams offense. About a year ago, i wrote about frequently stolen books. A fun childrens book with some surprisingly intelligent commentary thrown in. The times just did an unscientific survey to discover the moststolen book in the united. I actually stole this book from a used bookstore in kerrville, texas. I asked steve bercu, bookpeoples owner, what the most frequently stolen title was. Im sure there are kids who can afford it who steal the books but they would have stolen it anyway, by. I have to admit from the front cover i wasnt really expecting this book to be that great, but alex shearers writing has a unique style, and thats what makes the stolen worth reading.
Steal this book is rarely stolen nowadays slog the stranger. Such questions lie at the heart of joanna demerss timely look at how overzealous intellectual property ip litigation both stifles and stimulates musical creativity. And of course, the thieving criminals who commit these acts. Abbie hoffman in steal this book gives a practical howto guide for the aspiring yippie on how to steal as much as possible from a hotel room, including the tv. Most of the hue and cry comes from the idea that if you can get it for free, no one will ever pay for. Abbie hoffman, steal this book, 1969 an index of tropes about robbery, stealing, and theft.
I knew this before, but reading it only confirmed it. Obviously such a project as steal this book could not have been carried out alone. Its crap to shit on people trying to educate themselves with typically no means, doing it by whatever means they can. A classic of counterculture literature and one of the most influentialand controversialdocuments of the twentieth century, steal this book is as valuable today as the day it was published. Professionals target highpriced books and books that are easily resold, such as college textbooks. A driving force behind the social revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, hoffman inspired a generation to challenge the status quo. It must have been 1974 or 75, steal this book had been popular for a few years. This fact alone should have served as a warning to anyone planning to try the scams and swindles he encouraged. A musicologist, industry consultant, and musician, demers dissects works that.
He did months of valuable research and contributed many of the survival techniques. Its ok to be mad that its hard to make a living as a writer. Tell him youre going to sue the company if your luggage gets stolen. Someone stole my entire book and my job and is selling. I reported the theft to createspace yesterday and am currently waiting for a response. My library at university kept telling me that the book did not exist. Perhaps unsurprisingly, shoplifters tend to take books by authors with substantial cult followings, and. Steal this book is rarely stolen nowadays slog the. Although now somewhat dated, steal this book is a fun romp back into an era of our collective history we all should not forget. Thomas is not his real name has stolen a number books. Steal this book by abbie hoffman dedicated to jerry lefcourt, lawyer and brother library of congress number 72157115 stolen from library of congress 1971 pirate editions.
A classic of counterculture literature and one of the most influential and controversialdocuments of the twentieth century, steal this book is as valuable today as it was the day it was published. Steal this book is a rambling tirade about class envy and hatred of the rich. In addition to shoplifting, thievery also has been due to pilfering by shipping personnel and burglary. People who steal and people who will take something offered for free are different crowds. Get an answer for in the book thief, what is the chronological order of the books liesel steals.
Packed with information, advice, and abbies unique outlaw wisdom avoid all needle drugsthe only dope worth shooting is richard nixon. What they wont tell you about the internet by wallace wang and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. John charles gilkey steals purely for the love of boo in the tradition of the orchid thief, a compelling narrative set within the strange and genteel world of rarebook collecting. I got a lot of good yet useless i tried em, they did not work ideas on anarchy and how to. Meant as a practical guide for the aspiring hippie, steal this book captures hoffmans puckish tone and became a cult classic with over 200,000 copies sold. Steal this book, first edition, signed abebooks passion for books. Was it common for people to take the title of abbie hoffmans famous steal this. A list of the stolen books in chronological order please. I have got this book about 3 times now, it has been stolen. Indie bookstores tell us about their most stolen books. Stolen spirits stolen spirits first gained attention with the introduction of its smoked rum and a marketing shtick that borrows a page from abbie hoffmans steal this book and modernizes it.