Equality

Equality (1897) is a novel by Edward Bellamy. The sequel to Bellamy’s bestselling novel Looking Backward, 2000-1887 (1888) is a product of decades of work on the socialist theories that captivated thousands of Americans and inspired the formation of the People’s Party. Although Bellamy died before his vision could be realized, many of the ideas that circulate in Equality—including vegetarianism, feminism, and the abolition of private capital—continue to inform left-wing politics today. “He learned that there were no longer any who were or could be richer or poorer than others, but that all were economic equals. He learned that no one any longer worked for another, either by compulsion or for hire, but that all alike were in the service of the nation working for the common fund, which all equally shared…” After a century in a hypnosis-induced coma, Julian West emerges to a fundamentally different world. Shocked at first, he soon understands that the changes made to the American economy at the tail end of the Gilded Age were not only just, but entirely necessary. In this sequel to Looking Backward, 2000-1887, Bellamy provides more detail on the theories which informed the construction of a revolutionary socialist utopia in the United States. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Edward Bellamy’s Equality is a classic of American literature reimagined for modern readers.