{"product_id":"the-barrel-of-a-gun-ruth-first-9781804299449","title":"The Barrel of a Gun: Political Power in Africa and the Coup d'État","description":"\u003cb\u003eRuth First's classic study of coups d'état in post-colonial Africa with a groundbreaking critical introduction for a new generation.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA classic study of the role coups d'état played in postcolonial Africa, Ruth First's \u003ci\u003eThe Barrel of a Gun\u003c\/i\u003e is being republished for the first time in 50 years with a critical introduction from Christopher J. Lee. If Frantz Fanon had not died in 1961, what might a sequel to\u003ci\u003e The Wretched of the Earth\u003c\/i\u003e have looked like? Ruth First's \u003ci\u003eThe Barrel of a Gun\u003c\/i\u003e provides a possible answer by addressing one of the most notorious and complicated phenomena in postcolonial Africa--the coup d'état. Written at a time when the fervor of decolonization and independence was receding, and the vulnerabilities and violent realities of postcolonial state power were being confronted, \u003ci\u003eThe Barrel of a Gun\u003c\/i\u003e remains a foundational work on the topic of postcolonial coups and state power.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Ruth First\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1804299448\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781804299449\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Verso\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/18\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 560\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.81lbs","brand":"Ruth First","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48520151466239,"sku":"9781804299449","price":34.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_1742fb89-ea1c-4c98-802f-ebffd4850073.jpg?v=1778741059","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-barrel-of-a-gun-ruth-first-9781804299449","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}