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1971 book by Abbie Hoffman

Steal This Book is a book written by Abbie Hoffman. Written in 1970 and published in 1971, the book exemplified the counterculture of the sixties. The book sold more than a quarter of a million copies between April and November 1971. The number of copies that were stolen is unknown. The book is, in the style of the counterculture, mainly focused on ways to fight against the government and against corporations in any way possible. The book is written in the form of a guide to the youth. Hoffman, a political and social activist himself, used many of his own activities as the inspiration for some of his advice in Steal This Book.

The main author of the book, Abbie Hoffman, was one of the most influential and recognizable North American activists of the late 1960s and early 1970s, gaining fame with his leadership in anti Vietnam War protests. In the introduction, Hoffman writes that 50 people were involved in the creation of Steal This Book. Izak Haber and Bert Cohen are credited on the title page as "co conspirator" and "accessory after the fact", respectively. Steal This Book was written in the climate of the counterculture, in which opposition to tradition and government was rampant, and experimentation with new forms of living was encouraged. When the book was published, it took hold among the new left, especially among students on college campuses, such as Brandeis University, where Hoffman had been a student.

Steal This Book is divided into three sections, "Survive! ", "Fight!" and "Liberate!". There is also an introduction and appendix that lists "approved" organizations and other books worth stealing. "Survive!" gives information and methods for obtaining goods and services for free or at discounted rates. It covers a broad range of items, including food, clothing, furniture, transportation, land, livestock, housing, education, medical care, communication, entertainment, money, and drugs. There is further advice on slug coins, panhandling, welfare, shoplifting, growing cannabis, and establishing a commune. "Fight!" includes chapters on starting an underground press, broadcasting through guerrilla radio or guerrilla television, non violent demonstrations and how to protect oneself if they become violent, how to make an assortment of home made bombs, first aid for street fighters, legal advice, how to seek political asylum, guerrilla warfare, gun laws, and identification papers. The final section, "Liberate! ", contains information particular to four major cities: New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Hoffman has an idiosyncratic writing style, and incorporates slang specific to his subculture—e. g., referring to his country as "Amerika." In the book, Hoffman calls America the "Pig Empire" and contends that it is not immoral to steal from it—in fact, Hoffman wrote, it is immoral not to do so. The term was picked up by the Yippies, and was widely used by what became known as the "Woodstock Nation." Some of the information in the book has since become obsolete for technological or regulatory reasons, but the book iconically reflects the hippie zeitgeist.