History of American Socialisms

vi, 678 pp. "The source book for information on American communities." "During forty years in the mid-19th Century, a large number of communitarian societies was established in America, most of them dedicated to the Socialist principles of Owen and Fourier. It was a national movement, involving some 136,500 acres of land in eleven states and over 8.500 individuals. Each society was launched with fervent hope and the sacrifice of much time and money; yet it was the rare one that managed to survive its second year, and its decrease often left behind a load of debts and much disillusionment. Interesting in human as well as historical terms, the communitarian movement is one of the most fascinating adventures America has experienced.  Noyes was himself the founder of the Oneida Community, one of the most successful and original of the societies. He was thoroughly committed to the communitarian idea and wrote this book in an attempt to apply the lessons of past failures to future communities. A fascinating figure in himself... intelligent and articulate, he had also amassed an extensive collection of important papers on the Socialist movement.  In this book, Noyes surveys all the societies known to him that he considers in the main stream of American Socialism (48 are fully described, including New Harmony, Brook Farm, the Shaker communities and his own Oneida Community). The book is primarily a descriptive report. Much of the text consists of direct quotations from first-hand accounts: descriptive brochures soliciting new members; accounts by visitors and society members describing housing arrangements, the types of people in the community, the financial backing of the societies, their industry and agriculture, their daily activities, their often eccentric sexual customs. Noyes's interpretive commentary speculates on the causes of failure, elements he finds to be common to successful societies, and similar topics."