Yours Faithfully, Bertrand Russell

Bertrand Russell was one of the twentieth century’s greatest public intellectuals. His lifelong battle with the forces of injustice, ignorance, and cruelty was not always welcomed by his own government, which twice imprisoned him. Russell wrote over 400 letters to the editor—most of which are collected in this volume—to reach large numbers of the public quickly when his controversial stances made it difficult to have his articles published in the popular press. Yours Faithfully, Bertrand Russell allows us to see Russell at his polemical best, dueling wittily and wisely with both ordinary citizens and the most powerful political leaders of his day, freely expressing his insights on a wide range of subjects from war and peace to human rights, early childhood education, sexual ethics, and religion. These letters tell us much about the social and political history of our last century, relaying an inspiring story of one man’s protracted efforts to infuse public spirit with reason and compassion.