A very detailed, and fascinating account of Hook's formative years, . . . [a] first-rate contribution to the history of American leftist intellectual life." —Richard Rorty, Raritan "A brilliant, lucid portrait of a scholar, adversarial by temperament, who turned his extraordinary powers of analysis and polemic successively against capitalism, Stalinism, and the New Left." —Alan Wald, Monthly Review ... Read more"Fascinating . . . well researched and packed with information." —William James Earle, Times Literary Supplement "Phelps's effort to uncover, explore, and analyze Hook's forgotten leftism must be judged an unqualified success." —Kent Worcester, Left History "As Phelps guides the reader through Hook's writings and activities he deftly navigates the complex terrain of 1930s Marxist thought. Young Sidney Hook exemplifies intellectual history at its best, as Phelps fluidly weaves rigorous textual analysis, rich contextualization, and his contributions to historiographyical debates together in a seamless narrative." —American Communist History Show Less