The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists with a foreword by Tony Benn

The first great English novel about the class war, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists is spiked, witty, humorous, instructive and full of excitement, harmony and pathos. Alan Sillitoe

Some books seem to batter their way to immortality against all the odds, by sheer brute artistic strength, and high up in this curious and honourable company must be counted The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists. Robert Tressell s unfailing humour mixes with an unfailing rage and the two together make a truly Swiftian impact. Evening Standard

Robert Tressell has complete familiarity with the idiom of his characters. His language is bizarre, vital, highly inventive and precisely heard it is a complete and living archaeology of the speech of a particular human group. A brilliant and very funny book. Spectator

'The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists' tells the story of a group of working men who are joined one day by Owen, a journeyman-prophet with a vision of a just society. Owen's spirited attacks on the greed and dishonesty of the capitalist system rouse his fellow men from their political quietism. 'The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists' is both a master piece of wit and political passion and one of the most authentic novels of English working class life ever written.

“The first great English novel about the class war, 'The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists' is spiked, witty, humorous, instructive and full of excitement, harmony and pathos.”
ALAN SILLITOE

“Some books seem to batter their way to immortality against all the odds, by sheer brute artistic strength, and high up in this curious and honourable company must be counted 'The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists'. Robert Tressell's unfailing humour mixes with an unfailing rage and the two together make a truly Swiftian impact.”
MICHAEL FOOT, 'Evening Standard'

“'The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists' is a wonderful book. its wonder comes from the raciness of its story and the passionate ethics that emerge.”
CITY LIMITS

“Robert Tressell has complete familiarity with the idiom of his characters. His language is bizarre, vital, highly inventive and precisely heard – it is a complete and living archaeology of the speech of a particular human group. A brilliant and very funny book.”
SPECTATOR

“A torch to pass from generation to generation.”
TONY BENN