Anarchist's Cookbook


 * For the Film, see The Anarchist Cookbook (film).

The Anarchist Cookbook is a book written by William Powell. It was published in 1970 and was intended as a protest against the United States government over the Vietnam war. The book contains recipes and instructions for the manufacture of explosives, drugs, a number of now obsolete telecommunications hacking devices, and other controversial themes. Despite the name, the book contains no food recipes, has no connection to the anarchist movement, and is, in fact, criticized by many anarchists.

The author, in an Amazon.com review of the book, stated that he now disagrees with the central idea of the book "that violence is an acceptable means to bring about political change" and asked that the book be taken out of print. However, the copyright is held by the publisher, so Powell has no control over publication and receives no royalties from it.

Legality
While The Anarchist Cookbook is legally available in the United States, it is illegal in many other countries. The information contained in the book includes instructions that, if followed, may be against the law. Because of this, access to the book is often restricted, with some bookstores refusing to sell the book to persons under 21 years of age. Authorities and munitions experts have stated that the instructions in the book should never be attempted by an inexperienced individual.