Walter Howard

Anthracite Reds: a Documentary History of Communists in Northeastern Pennsylvania During the 1920s Walter Howard

Anthracite Reds is a documentary history of Communists in the Pennsylvania anthracite [hard coal area] during the 1920s, the decade when these radicals were most involved in the work life of the hard coal miners. During the 20th century about one million Americans passed through the Communist Party of the United States [CPUSA]. In the first half of the century in the Pennsylvania anthracite, hundreds of men and women, mostly Eastern and Southern European immigrants who lived and worked in the region, also joined the CPUSA. Many books have been written about American communism in diverse regional settings; yet, no author has penned a volume that deals with these American radicals in one of 20th century America's major industrial centers, the anthracite fields of northeastern Pennsylvania. Anthracite Reds serves several purposes. It can be read as a reference work that would be useful to libraries, museums, and researchers. It may also, however, be read as a compelling narrative that tells an interesting story for general readers.