1st Edition
William Morris, Art and Socialist Movements: A Collection of Contemporary Pamphlets
William Morris, one of Britain's leading writers and artists of the Victorian era, was strongly connected to the socialist movement of 19th century Britain and both his literary work and decorative art were widely influenced by its ideas. He was a founding member of the Socialist League and many of his writings were originally published in the League's official newspapers and pamphlets.
This 3-volume set is a facsimile reprint of a collection of 47 small booklets, written or edited by Morris and his colleagues in the socialist movement, most of which are rare and difficult to access,.
The first volume contains all issues of the two major pamphlet series of the Socialist League as well as his historical documents relating to its foundation, including conference reports and broadsides. Many of them feature beautiful illustrations by Water Crane, a Victorian book illustrator, which are all reproduced in the volume. The second volume includes booklets on socialism published by authors close to Morris as well as by himself. There are also songbooks that he edited. The third volume is devoted to his lectures of art and socialism which he published by himself using the Golden Type he designed.
The facsimile reprint of these items visualizes the essence of Morris's thought and art and will provide a deeper understanding of what William Morris tried to contribute to the Victorian society through his literary and art works.
Volume 1
I. Socialist Pamphlets Series
1. Hammersmith Socialist Society, Statement of Principles, 1893.
2. Scheu, Andreas, What’s to be done? Educate! Agitate! Organise!, 1892.
3. Morris, William, Useful Work versus Useless Toil,1893.
4. Morris, William, True and False Society, 1893.
5. Morris, William, Monopoly, or How Labour is Robbed, 1893.
6. Carruthers, John, Socialism and Radicalism,1894.
7. Carruthers, John, Political Economy of Socialism, n/d.
II. Miscellaneous Documents related to the Foundation of the Socialist League
1. ‘A Word to Our Fellow Workers and the Unemployed in the East End of London’, 1883, single-sided broadside.
2. Morris, William, ‘The Socialist League - Appeal for Funds’, c.1885, single-sided printed leaflet.
3. The Socialist League, The Socialist League - Hammersmith Branch, 1885, double-sided leaflet.
4. The Socialist League, Down with the Socialists! London: The Socialist League, 1885, double-sided leaflet.
5. Morris, William, and Ernest Belfort Bax, The Manifesto of the Socialist League [New edition annotated by W. Morris and E. B. Bax], London: Socialist League Office,1885, ill. Walter Crane.
6. The Socialist League, Report of the Third Annual Conference of the Socialist League - Held at 13 Farringdon Road, London, E.C. On Whitsunday May 29, 1887, London, 1887.
7. The Socialist League, Annual Report of the Glasgow Branch of the Socialist League, Glasgow: Horn and Connell,1887. ill. Walter Crane.
8. The Socialist League, Report of the Fourth Annual Conference of the Socialist League Held at 13 Farringdon Road, London, E.C., On Whitsunday, May 20, 1888, London, 1888.
9. The Socialist League, ‘Agenda for the Annual Conference of the Socialist League, to be Held at Farringdon Hall, 13 Farringdon Road, E.C., On Whitsunday, May 20th, 1888’, London 1888, Broadsheet with manuscript additions.
10. International Socialist Workers & Trade Union Congress, ‘Great Demonstration in Favour of International Peace will be held in Hyde Park on Sunday, July 26, 1896’, London: Twentieth Century Press, 1896, single-sided broadside.
III. Socialist Platform Series
1. Council of the Socialist League, Address to the Trades’ Unions, London: Socialist League Office, 1885, ill. Walter Crane.
2. Morris, William, Useful Work versus Useless Toil, 1886, ill. Walter Crane.
3. Aveling, Edward, and Eleanor Marx Aveling, The Factory Hell, 1885, ill. Walter Crane.
4. Bax, E. Belfort, Victor Dave, and William Morris, A Short Account of the Commune of Paris, 1886, ill. Walter Crane.
5. Binning, Thomas, Organised Labour: The Duty of the Trades’ Unions in Relation to Socialism, 1886, ill. Walter Crane.
6. Morris, William, True and False Society, 1888, ill. Walter Crane.
7. Morris, William, Monopoly; or How Labour is Robbed, 1890, ill. Arthur Walter Hughes.
Volume 2
IV. Miscellaneous Pamphlets on Socialism
1. Hyndman, H.M. and William Morris, A Summary of the Principles of Socialism written for the Democratic Federation, London: The Modern Press, 1884, ill. William Morris.
2. Morris, William, The Labour Question from the Socialist Standpoint, Edinburgh: Co-operative Printing Company, 1886.
3. Morris, William, The Tables Turned; or, Nupkins Awakened - A Socialist Interlude, London: Office of The Commonweal, 1887.
4. Morris, William, A King’s Lesson, Aberdeen: James Leatham, 1891.
5. Morris, William, Under an Elm-Tree; or Thoughts in the Country-side, Aberdeen: James Leatham, 1891.
6. Morris, William, The Reward of Labour: A Dialogue, London: Hayman, Christy and Lilly, n/d. [1892].
7. Naewiger, Conrad, G. Bernard Shaw, and J. Armden, The Why I Ams - Why I am a Socialist and an Atheist; Why I am a Social Democrat; Why I am an Individualist Anarchist, London: James Tochatti, Liberty Press, 1894.
8. Morris, William, and L.S. Bevington, The Why I Ams - Why I am a Communist; Why I am an Expropriationist, London: James Tochatti, Liberty Press, 1894, ill. Walter Crane.
9. Morris, William, The Revolt of Ghent, Huddersfield: The Worker Office; London: Twentieth Century Press; Manchester: National Labour Press, n/d. [1910].
V. Songs for Socialists
1. Morris, William, Chants for Socialists, 2nd ed., London: The Socialist League Office, 1885, 16pp. ill. Walter Crane.
2. J. Bruce Glacier (ed.), Socialist Songs, Glasgow: Labour Literature Society 1893. 3. Carpenter, Edward (ed.), Chants of Labour - A Song Book of the People with Music, 6th ed., London: George Allen and Unwin, 1922, ill. Walter Crane.
Volume 3
VI. Art and Socialism
1. Morris, William, Labour and Pleasure versus Labour and Sorrow, An Address at Birmingham Society of Arts and School of Design, Birmingham: Cund Bros., 1880.
2. Morris, William, The Socialist Ideal of Art, London: The New Review, 1891. [A Buxton Forman forgery]
3. Morris, William, Art and Socialism, 2nd ed., Leek: E.E.M. and W.L.S, 1884.
4. Morris, William, Address on the Collection of Paintings of the English Pre-Raphaelite School, Delivered by Mr. William Morris, in the Museum and Art Gallery, on Friday, October 2nd, 1891, Birmingham: E.C. Osborne and Son, 1891.
5. Morris, William, International Health Exhibition, Lectures - Textile Fabrics, A Lecture Delivered in the Lecture Room of the Exhibition, July 11th, 1884, London: Executive Council of the International Health Exhibition and for the Council of the Society of Arts, 1884.
6. Morris, William, The Aims of Art, London: Office of The Commonweal, 1887.
7. Morris, William, An Address Delivered by William Morris at the Distribution of Prizes to Students of the Birmingham Municipal School of Art on Feb. 21, 1894, London: Longman, 1898. Printed at the Chiswick Press with the Golden Type designed by William Morris.
8. Morris, William, Art and the Beauty of the Earth, A Lecture Delivered by William Morris at Burslem Town Hall on October 13, 1881, London: Longman, 1898. Printed at the Chiswick Press with the Golden Type designed by William Morris.
9. Morris, William, Some Hints on Pattern Designing, A Lecture Delivered by William Morris at the Working Men’s College, London, on December 1881, London: Longman, 1899, Printed at the Chiswick Press with the Golden Type designed by William Morris.
10. Morris, William, Architecture and History and Westminster Abbey, A Paper Read before the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, on July 1, 1884, London: Longman, 1900. Printed at the Chiswick Press with the Golden Type designed by William Morris.
11. Morris, William, Art and its Producers, A Lecture Delivered in Liverpool in 1888, London: Longman, 1901, Printed at the Chiswick Press with the Golden Type designed by William Morris.
Biography
Professor Yasuo Kawabata, Department of English, Japan Women’s University, Japan
