William Powell (1) (1949–2016)

Since initial publication in 1971, the Anarchist Cookbook has been notorious for its misinformation and inaccuracies. There has been much speculation that this was a deliberate effort by US law enforcement agencies. I think Powell was just an ass. I’m slightly older than Powell, and was playing around with this sort of thing in ’71, and I certainly was an ass.
Do not try to make anything following Powell’s instructions. Mostly you’ll get fizzles, but occasionally some very unstable show more explosives will result. There have been numerous efforts to correct Powell’s work, but it isn’t worth the trouble to track them down. If you are actually looking for this sort of information, check out Kurt Saxon’s oeuvre, the Black Book series, and various military manuals.
The most interesting thing about the Anarchist Cookbook is that it was published by a major publisher and widely promoted. It was prominently displayed in mainstream book stores (physical locations were people used to buy print books). I can’t imagine such a thing happening today, in the era of mass shootings and jihadist terrorism. In 1971, the face of terrorism was a cute co-ed leaving a little-bitty bomb in an isolated restroom, set to go off after closing hours. It makes me nostalgic.
To Powell’s credit, he has tried to stop the constant re-issuing of Cookbook, but he long ago sold the rights. For a very interesting legal and publishing history of the Anarchist Cookbook, see The Wrong Hands, by Ann Larabee. show less

Interesting book. I gave it 3 stars because I don't know how accurate it is. Explosives and booby traps are not my forte. I actually bought it at our local bookstore just to keep it out of the hands of some of the wackos that live here. 8|

the cookbook: there is only one purpose in hand-to-hand combat, and that is to kill.
me, crying: please i just need a soup recipe

A book that tests the limits of intellectual freedom. There is no thought crime in the US. Knowing about bad stuff is not that same as planning and doing bad stuff. This book has been weeded from my library.