Back in print, the groundbreaking classic on robber-rebels from "the best known living historian in the world" (
The Times [London]). First published in 1969, the now-classic
Bandits inspired a whole new field of historical study and brought its author popular acclaim. Bandits transcend the label of criminals; they are robbers and outlaws elevated to the status of avengers and champions of social justice. Some, like Robin Hood, Rob Roy, and Jesse James, are famous throughout the world, the stuff of story and myth. Others, from Balkan
haiduks and Indian
dacoits to Brazilian
congaceiros, are known only to their own countries' people. In his celebrated study of these fascinating figures, now updated with a new introduction, Eric Hobsbawm, "one of the few genuinely great historians of our century," according to the
New Republic, spans four hundred years and four continents, setting these folk heroes against the ballads, legends, and films they have inspired. The result is "a dazzling historical squib, fizzing with ideas and strange stories" (
The Guardian).
An utterly fascinating book. (The New Yorker)
A wise as well as an exciting book. . . . This is human history at its very best. (The Times Literary Supplement [London])
A dazzling historical squib, fizzing with ideas and strange stories. (The Guardian)
For sheer intelligence [Hobsbawm] has no superior in the historical profession. (Sir Keith Thomas)
