The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists

Robert Tressell (author)

The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists is a classic representation of the impoverished and politically powerless underclass of British society in Edwardian England, ruthlessly exploited by the institutionalized corruption of their employers and the civic and religious authorities. Epic in scale, the novel charts the ruinous effects of the laissez-faire mercantilist ethics on the men, women, and children of the working classes, and through its emblematic characters, argues for a socialist politics as the only hope for a civilized and humane life for all. This Wordsworth edition includes an exclusive foreword by the late Tony Benn.

Robert Tressell was the pseudonym of Robert Noonan, an Irish housepainter, who came to England from South Africa at the turn of the century. After working as a signwriter and becoming involved in local politics in Adelaide, Tressell wrote The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, his only novel. After the manuscript was rejected by several publishers, Tressell decided to move to Canada, yet died of TB en route in 1911. The book was published three years later.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wordsworth Editions; Wordsworth Classics edition (9 April 2012)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 624 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 9781840226829
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.7 x 3.56 x 19.3 cm