by Nick Thorkelson, Edited by Paul Buhle
Pluto Press
9/20/2026, paperback
SKU: 9780745346274
This is the graphic biography of William Morris (1834-1896), the celebrated designer, driven polymath and radical socialist.
Acclaimed cartoonist Nick Thorkelson moves through the events of Morris's life weaving a rich tapestry of the major artistic, social and political questions which animated him.
He explores Morris's politics and art, and how his hatred of class tyranny and love of humanity shaped his poetry, design and relationships.
The book brings to life the tension of Morris's efforts to democratise art while creating pieces for the wealthy, his critique of Britain's Empire, and his central place in socialist culture and propaganda.
Thorkelson's striking and idiosyncratic drawings chime with the Arts and Crafts movement's emphasis on the humanising power of the handmade.
The book also features fourteen pages of immersive and dazzling illustrations by Sharon Rudahl, pioneer of women's comics, honouring the literary work for which William Morris was best known during his lifetime.
Reviews:
"An engaging, riotous rampage through the life of this inspiring artist, crafter and thinker. Thorkelson skillfully steers the reader through the rapids of Morris's artistic, intellectual and political achievements, beautifully intertwined with references to his iconic designs. Sharon Rudahl's stunning, immersive artwork, inspired by William Morris's words, rounds off the whole" -- Kate Evans, author of Red Rosa: A Graphic Biography of Rosa Luxemburg
"An inventive and instructive graphic account of William Morris's life and politics, with a distinct agit-prop aspect" -- Jan Marsh, former president, William Morris Society and curator of A Call to Art: William Morris , Fitzwilliam Museum
"The scent of paradise is woven into all of William Morris' designs. These lively pages trace the strands of politics and poetry, practical and visionary, back to their roots in social and economic justice. A web of dreams is rendered with wit and charm by the deft pen of Nick Thorkelson" -- Sabrina Jones, comic book artist, writer, editor, founding artist at World War Three Illustrated
About the Contributors:
Nick Thorkelson is a cartoonist living in Provincetown, Massachusetts. He is the author and illustrator of Herbert Marcuse: Philosopher of Utopia (2019). He was an editorial cartoonist at The Boston Globe and has created comics and illustrations in support of organizations working on economic justice, peace, public health, and industrial safety. He is the co-author and/or illustrator of The Earth Belongs to the People, The Underhanded History of the USA, The Legal Rights of Union Stewards, The Comic Strip of Neoliberalism, and Economic Meltdown Funnies, and has contributed to a number of nonfiction comics anthologies. Nick also moonlights as a musician, animator, graphic designer, and painter.
Paul Buhle is the author or editor of more than three dozen books. Formerly a Senior Lecturer at Brown University, he produces radical comics today, and is the authorized biographer of C.L.R. James. He founded the SDS Journal Radical America and the archive Oral History of the American Left and, with Mari Jo Buhle, is coeditor of the Encyclopedia of the American Left.
Sharon Rudahl is an American comic artist, illustrator, and writer. She was one of the first female artists who contributed to the underground comix movement of the early 1970s. In 1972, she was part of the women's collective that founded Wimmen's Comix, the first ongoing comic drawn exclusively by women.