Steven T. Byington – Union Of Egoists

Announcing Der Geist, Issue 6. A Braille Stirner for Helen Keller and Ragnar Redbeards secret Canadian life!

Kevin I. Slaughter — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 13:22:05 +0000

An anthology of rare and never-before-seen essays and images from the history of egoism. Over two hundred pages of original translations, bibliographies, art, ephemera and more.

Discover rare photographic glimpses of pioneering egoists such as Dora Marsden and Benjamin R. Tucker, and delve into the visionary project to produce a Braille edition of Max Stirner’s magnum opus for the indomitable Helen Keller. Unearth a plethora of fascinating artifacts pertaining to Malfew Seklew, and be riveted by the astonishing revelation of Ragnar Redbeard’s brief yet impactful foray as a Canadian Socialist Provocateur.

This sixth issue of Der Geist is sure to delight and offend, but most of all, serve as an essential philosophical reference work for centuries to come.

DER GEIST: The Journal of Egoism from 1845 – 1945 | ISSUE 6 | Winter 2023
Paperback, 212 pages, $15
ISBN 978-1-944651-29-9, ISSN 2639-5339

Der Geist, (Trevor Blake, editor; Kevin I. Slaughter, co-editor) is an English-language journal for an international audience, publishing original scholarship on the philosophy of egoism. The journal is descriptive of the first century of egoism in print (from the 1845 publication of Der Einzige und sein Eigentum by Max Stirner to the end of 1945), not prescriptive in advocacy of egoism.

Introduction by the Editor 2

1. Max Stirner 7

2. Malfew Seklew 29

3. Ragnar Redbeard 51

4. Dora Marsden 95

Dora Marsden for the Prosecution | The Freewomen of New York | Dora Marsden, unser aller Mutter | Dora Marsden Ephemera | Rare Portraits

5. Benjamin DeCasseres 107

Emmeline Pankhurst | Pyrrhonism and Acatalepsy | Balzac | The Borrowed Mirror

6. Friedrich Nietzsche 117

Nietzsche and a Braille Stirner for Hellen Keller | “Will Nietzsche Come Into Vogue…” | The Works of Friedrich Nietzsche | Alexander Tille Reads Egoism

7. Enzo Martucci 135

A Sketch of Martucci | An Excerpt from The Red Sect | Martucci on Stirner

8. Free Spirits 159

SA1230 | Immorality as a Philosophic Principle | Paul Carus

Kevin I. Slaughter — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 13:35:59 +0000

Paul Carus (1852 – 1919) was a philosopher and after moving to America from Germany became the editor of the Open Court publishing company where he was editor of The Monist, a philosophy journal still being published today. Carus’ specialty was in the field of comparative religion, and referred to himself as “an atheist who loved God” and was a Spinozan.

His article “Immorality as a Philosophic Principle” is reprinted here in facsimile from the July 1899 issue of The Monist. In it, Carus introduces the reader to Nietzsche’s ideas and this “aristocratic individualism”. “It is a consistent anarchism, a courageous immoralism, and a proud aristocratism, the ruthless shout of triumph of the victor who hails the doctrine of the survival of the strongest and craftiest as a ‘joyful science.'”

Available from Underworld Amusements

In a section titled “Nietzsche’s Disciples”, Carus covers some of the work of egoists of the time, including the journal The Eagle and The Serpent in England and Der Eigene in Germany. Strangely enough, he refers to Max Stirner as being an “expounder of Niteche’s philosophy even though he predated him by decades. Further, Ragnar Redbeard and his book Might is Right are touched upon, as well as Clarence L. Swartz and Elbert Hubbard. Readers of Der Geist and the Stand Alone series will be well familiar with all the names mentioned in this section.

Steven T. Byington’s Triple Score

Httpswwwunionofegoistscom — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 14:00:00 +0000

Steven T. Byington created the first full English translation of Der Einzige und sein Eigentum, which was published in 1907. It has been republished many times and subsequently edited by numerous editors. We addressed the question “(What is the) Best version of ‘Einzige’ in English” in a blog post.

Max Stirner wrote in Der Einzige und sein Eigentum (1845):

Wie bei den Griechen möchte man den Menschen jetzt zu einem zoon politikon machen, einem Staatsbürger oder politischen Menschen. So galt er lange Zeit als »Himmelsbürger«. Der Grieche wurde aber mit seinem Staate-zugleich entwürdigt, der Himmelsbürger wird es mit dem Himmel; Wir hingegen wollen nicht mit dem Volke, der Nation und Nationalität zugleich untergehen, wollen nicht bloss politische Menschen oder Politiker sein. »Volksbeglückung« strebt man seit der Revolution an, und indem man das Volk glücklich, gross u. dergl. macht, macht man Uns unglücklich: Volksglück ist — mein Unglück.

Steven T. Byington translated and interpreted this passage in The Ego and His Own (1907):

As with the Greeks, there is now a wish to make man a zoon politicon, a citizen of the State or political man. So he ranked for a long time as a “citizen of heaven.” But the Greek fell into ignominy along with his State, the citizen of heaven likewise falls with heaven; we, on the other hand, are not willing to go down along with the people, the nation and nationality, not willing to be merely political men or politicians. Since the Revolution they have striven to “make the people happy,” and in making the people happy, great, etc., they make Us unhappy: the people’s good hap is — my mishap.

Byington was able to convey the double-meaning of Stirner in “… the Greek fell into ignominy along with his State… ” because in English, State can refer both to “nation” and “nature.” Byington also conveyed the deliberate ambiguity of the capitalized “Us” in the final sentence: it is “us” the people they strive to make happy, and “Us” the Royal singular who are not made happy, both at the same time as a deliberate contradiction. But Byington scores a triple goal with closing alliteration. See the poetry of happy / unhappy (favorable / unfavorable mood), hap (circumstance) and mishap (accident).

You can learn more of Byington’s life and work in the most recent issue of Der Geist (2017), issue five.

Announcing “Der Geist” journal Issue 5, Spring 2022

Kevin I. Slaughter — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 20:10:52 +0000

Der Geist issue 5 is now available! That creates a total of 930 pages of egoism from 1845 to 1945, with “lost” works reprinted, new or lost translations in every issue, rare photos and images, and new research and writing.

Available from: Underworld Amusements | Amazon.com | Amazon.UK | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org

DER GEIST issue five features the first publication of original research, and archival materials thought lost. Steven T. Byington (first English translation of Der Einzige und sein Eigentum by Max Stirner); Thomas Common (first English translation of Friedrich Nietzsche); Georgia Replogle (first English-language journal on egoism); Malfew Seklew (the Laughing Philosopher); Arthur Desmond (author of a notorious book); Dora Marsden, S. E. Parker and more.

DER GEIST (Trevor Blake, editor; Kevin I. Slaughter, co-editor) is an English-language journal for an international audience, publishing original scholarship on the philosophy of egoism. The journal is descriptive of the first century of egoism in print (from the 1845 publication of Der Einzige und sein Eigentum by Max Stirner to the end of 1945), not prescriptive in advocacy of egoism.

DER GEIST, The Journal of Egoism from 1845 – 1945
ISSUE 5
Spring 2022
Paperback, 206 pages, fifteen dollars
ISBN 978-1944651244
ISSN 2639-5339

Introduction by the Editor

1. Steven T. Byington

A Proofreader Looks Back | The Human Cutworm | Photo of Steven T. Byington | Biographical Note | Selected Bibliography

2. Thomas Common

Review of Survival of the Fittest | The Silent Isle: Finding the Gravesite of Thomas Common | A Memorial | Selected Bibliography

3. Ragnar Redbeard

4. Max Stirner / The Ego And His Own

Donald Rooum’s “Eigenheit” | An Early Literary Portrait of Max Stirner

5. Dora Marsden

Brainy Beauties | Private Places | Lover of Freedom

6. Malfew Seklew

7. Free Spirits

FAQ: Best version of “Einzige” in English

Kevin I. Slaughter — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 12:43:23 +0000

Someone asked:

hello! I heard about max stirner and (want to know) best version of that work. I see it is out of stock and was just curious if there was any plans for another run? thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this!

We responded:

The “best version” depends on a few things. Some people don’t like the Byington translation first issued under the title The Ego and His Own. I’ve seen some people say some pretty ill-informed things about it, but Byington’s work was more than competent and I don’t think anyone reading it would be led astray. That being said, Wolfi Landstreicher’s more recent translation, under the more literal title The Unique and Its Property, is excellent. He does make some distinctions that Byington didn’t.

If you were just wanting an English version to understand, I think either translation will serve you well.

If you are looking for an annotated edition, then the Cambridge edition of the Byington translation is, without question, the most scholarly.

If you are looking for a well produced, inexpensive edition, Verso Books nicely retypset and redesigned the Libertarian Book Club edition that was based on Byington and edited by James J. Martin. It is around $14: https://amzn.to/3AbCDJX

If Wolfi’s work is what you want, the in-print edition is available from Little Black Cart: https://littleblackcart.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=672 . The LBC edition is based on the out-of-print Underworld Amusements first edition. They redesigned it, added an index but deleted a footnote (for reasons unknown to me).

It is difficult to recommend any of the other in-print editions published in the last few years. There is a ton of garbage flooding the online market. They’re mostly ugly and ineptly put together.

Jeff Riggenbach reads “The Ego and His Own” by Max Stirner | 19 of 20 (10A)

Kevin I. Slaughter — Sun, 13 Jun 2021 11:00:53 +0000

The Ego and His Own Podcast
Cassette tape 10, side A, episode 19 of 20.

Jeff Riggenbach (1947-2021) reads The Ego and His Own by Max Stirner (1806-1856).
Translated by Steven T. Byington (1869-1957), edited and introduced by James J. Martin (1916-2004).
Edition read is based on the 1963 Libertarian Book Club edition.