John Reed

From Library Journal Reed (1887-1920) is best known for his eyewitness account of the 1917 Russian revolution, Ten Days That Shook the World (1919). By the time of its publication, he had had a busy ten-year career as a working journalist, covering labor disputes in the United States, the Mexican revolution, and opposing U.S. intervention in World War I. Homberger (Univ. of East Anglia) is primarily concerned here with the development of his subject's political philosophy and opinions. He infers these opinions largely from the published writings, plus occasional speeches and letters. As a man of action, primarily interested in doing and excitement, Reed seems a poor choice for such an analytical treatment. Discussions and thoughts are frequently terminated in midstream, left unfinished. A better source for Reed's life remains Robert A. Rosenstone's Romantic Revolutionary: A Biography of John Reed ( LJ 9/15/75).- Marcia Sprules, Council on Foreign Relations Lib., New YorkCopyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.