Speeches and Writings of a Working-Class Fighter

Mary Harris “Mother” Jones, with preface by Philip S. Foner
Paperback, 1073 pages
1983
Pathfinder Press

From the end of the Civil War until her death in 1930 at the age of 100, Mother Jones was a tireless fighter for the working class. This collection chronicles decades of labor battles—from the coalfields of West Virginia to the steel mills of Chicago and the garment shops of New York.

“Foner emphasizes the constancy of Jones's commitment to socialism, describes her effectiveness as a union organizer, and challenges feminist contentions that Mother Jones was opposed to or, at best, uninterested in the women's rights movement.”  
—Choice Review 

“Foner has provided what is needed to understand and appreciate Mother Jones. Each speech is set in context; each document is followed by explanatory notes.”
—Illinois Historical Journal

“A veritable archive of the legendary radical American labor organizer Mary Harris Jones.” 
—Library Journal

“She demanded justice and unionization although she faced the militia and imprisonment.”
―Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies

“The speeches especially show Jones' strong commitment to making life better for the country's working men and women, and the no-holds-barred language that she used to express that commitment.”
—Research Book News