In the introduction to my essay Summoning Ned Ludd I recommended Brian Merchant’s book on the Luddites (& the relevance of Luddite history to the present moment), Blood in the Machine. Even though it goes against my rules to recommend something I haven’t finished, in fact I had not, at the point of publishing my essay, read the book. I had read enough to know that it was sound history, & I had followed Blood in the Machine here on ye Stack (bloodinthemachine.com)— but I wanted to form my own conclusions from the source material without being unduly influenced by a contemporary writer’s persuasive take, much like when I watched the peregrine falcon chicks through a webcam & decided not to research peregrines but rather to find out by watching. There were mysteries there that took me a while to solve, like why was one chick significantly smaller than the other two? (Sexual dimorphism was the answer.)

Reading (the book) Blood in the Machine after publishing my essay, I discovered there was significant overlap between Brian’s thinking & my own, sometimes down to metaphor level; I also discovered very relevant facts in the book that I wished I had known while writing, like the fact that swearing Luddite oaths was soon made punishable by hanging. (I was focussing in on a specific point in Luddite history, early on.) I still think that where I got to in my piece was divergent enough to make the journey worthwhile. Anyway, I have just now finished the book, so now I can re-recommend that you go & read it, & Brian’s Stack, both are very good! Hammers up!