{"product_id":"the-true-believer-eric-hoffer-9780063566040","title":"The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Its theme is political fanaticism, with which it deals severely and brilliantly.\"--\u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA seventy-fifth anniversary edition of the enduring bestseller that offers \"concise insight into what drives the mind of the fanatic and the dynamics of a mass movement\" (\u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal)\u003c\/i\u003e by the legendary public intellect and San Francisco longshoreman. \u003ci\u003eThe True Believer \u003c\/i\u003eremains essential for understanding our world today. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEric Hoffer had no formal education and worked as a manual laborer throughout his life. He was also an astute social observer with a keen political eye who wrote philosophical treatises while working as a stevedore on the San Francisco docks and living in the railroad yards in the 1940s. \u003ci\u003eThe True Believer\u003c\/i\u003e was the first and most famous of his books. Published in 1951, his treatise on the nature of fanaticism was seen as a parallel to Machiavelli's The Prince. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIt became a bestseller after President Dwight D. Eisenhower cited it during one of the earliest televised press conferences. A decade later, Hoffer was featured on public television in two one-hour conversations on CBS with legendary newsman Eric Severeid that led him to be recognized as a public philosopher in the mode of Joseph Campbell. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eCalled a \"brilliant and original inquiry\" and \"a genuine contribution to our social thought\" by historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., \u003ci\u003eThe True Believer\u003c\/i\u003e was a landmark in the field of social psychology. Now three quarters of a century later, it's as relevant as ever, providing a highly provocative look into the mind of the fanatic, as well as a fascinating study into what drives mass movements like fascism and communism, offering insight and understanding into how they happen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Eric Hoffer\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0063566044\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780063566040\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Harper Perennial\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/27\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 192\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback","brand":"Eric Hoffer","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48440742674687,"sku":"9780063566040","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_82e597d0-f7a0-4fba-a330-3ef172fafc4e.jpg?v=1777184502","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-true-believer-eric-hoffer-9780063566040","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}