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Facing The Chair
Leather Binding on Spine and Corners with Golden Leaf Printing on round Spine (extra customization on request like complete leather, Golden Screen printing in Front, Color Leather, Colored book etc.) Reprinted in 2022 with the help of original edition published long back [1927]. This book is printed in black & white, sewing binding for longer life, Printed on high quality Paper, re-sized as per Current standards, professionally processed without changing its contents. As these are old books, we processed each page manually and make them readable but in some cases some pages which are blur or missing or black spots. If it is multi volume set, then it is only single volume, if you wish to order a specific or all the volumes you may contact us. We expect that you will understand our compulsion in these books. We found this book important for the readers who want to know more about our old treasure so we brought it back to the shelves. Hope you will like it and give your comments and suggestions. - English, Pages 130. EXTRA 10 DAYS APART FROM THE NORMAL SHIPPING PERIOD WILL BE REQUIRED FOR LEATHER BOUND BOOKS. COMPLETE LEATHER WILL COST YOU EXTRA US$ 25 APART FROM THE LEATHER BOUND BOOKS. {FOLIO EDITION IS ALSO AVAILABLE.} Complete Facing the chair : story of the Americanization of two foreignborn workmen / by John Dos Passos. 1927 Dos Passos, John, -
- GenresNonfiction
127 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1927
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About the author
John Dos Passos
214 books590 followersJohn Dos Passos was a prominent American novelist, artist, and political thinker best known for his U.S.A. trilogy—The 42nd Parallel, 1919, and The Big Money—a groundbreaking work of modernist fiction that employed experimental narrative techniques to depict the complexities of early 20th-century American life. Born in Chicago in 1896, he was educated at Harvard and served as an ambulance driver during World War I, experiences that deeply influenced his early literary themes. His first novel, One Man’s Initiation: 1917, and the antiwar Three Soldiers drew on his wartime observations and marked him as a major voice among the Lost Generation.
Dos Passos’s 1925 novel Manhattan Transfer brought him widespread recognition and introduced stylistic innovations that would define his later work. His U.S.A. trilogy fused fiction, biography, newsreel-style reportage, and autobiographical “Camera Eye” sections to explore the impact of capitalism, war, and political disillusionment on the American psyche. Once aligned with leftist politics, Dos Passos grew increasingly disillusioned with Communism, especially after the murder of his friend José Robles during the Spanish Civil War—a turning point that led to a break with Ernest Hemingway and a sharp turn toward conservatism.
Throughout his career, Dos Passos remained politically engaged, writing essays, journalism, and historical studies while also campaigning for right-leaning figures like Barry Goldwater and Richard Nixon in the 1960s. He contributed to publications such as American Heritage, National Review, and The Freeman, and published over forty books including biographies and historical reflections. Despite political shifts, his commitment to liberty and skepticism of authoritarianism remained central themes.
Also a visual artist, Dos Passos created cover art and illustrations for many of his own books, exhibiting a style influenced by modernist European art. Though less acclaimed for his painting, he remained artistically active throughout his life. His multidisciplinary approach and innovations in narrative structure influenced numerous writers and filmmakers, from Jean-Paul Sartre to Norman Mailer and Adam Curtis.
Later recognized with the Antonio Feltrinelli Prize for literature in 1967, Dos Passos’s legacy endures through his literary innovations and sharp commentary on American identity. He died in 1970, leaving behind a vast and diverse body of work that continues to shape the landscape of American fiction.
Dos Passos’s 1925 novel Manhattan Transfer brought him widespread recognition and introduced stylistic innovations that would define his later work. His U.S.A. trilogy fused fiction, biography, newsreel-style reportage, and autobiographical “Camera Eye” sections to explore the impact of capitalism, war, and political disillusionment on the American psyche. Once aligned with leftist politics, Dos Passos grew increasingly disillusioned with Communism, especially after the murder of his friend José Robles during the Spanish Civil War—a turning point that led to a break with Ernest Hemingway and a sharp turn toward conservatism.
Throughout his career, Dos Passos remained politically engaged, writing essays, journalism, and historical studies while also campaigning for right-leaning figures like Barry Goldwater and Richard Nixon in the 1960s. He contributed to publications such as American Heritage, National Review, and The Freeman, and published over forty books including biographies and historical reflections. Despite political shifts, his commitment to liberty and skepticism of authoritarianism remained central themes.
Also a visual artist, Dos Passos created cover art and illustrations for many of his own books, exhibiting a style influenced by modernist European art. Though less acclaimed for his painting, he remained artistically active throughout his life. His multidisciplinary approach and innovations in narrative structure influenced numerous writers and filmmakers, from Jean-Paul Sartre to Norman Mailer and Adam Curtis.
Later recognized with the Antonio Feltrinelli Prize for literature in 1967, Dos Passos’s legacy endures through his literary innovations and sharp commentary on American identity. He died in 1970, leaving behind a vast and diverse body of work that continues to shape the landscape of American fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 21, 2007
A great collection of pamphlets, essays, articles and posters fighting against the electrocution of Sacco and Vanzetti. I got really interested in that case after the USA Trilogy, and this was a terrific introduction to the furor that a certain percentage of the population had up until they were found guilty and killed.
February 2, 2016
In terms of content alone, I would have rated "Facing the Chair" five stars. Notwithstanding poor editing, I don't think Dos Passos was ever striving for poetic style. Fifty years later, the same frame- up was made clear in Peter Matthiessen's book "In the Spirit of Crazy Horse" (A.I.M and Leonard Peltier).
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July 6, 2022John Dos Passos published “Facing the Chair: Story of the Americanization of Two Foreignborn Workmen” in 1927 as a last-ditch effort to help Sacco and Vanzetti escape dying in the electric chair after their politically motivated murder convictions. Compared with the great “U.S.A.” trilogy this is minor Dos Passos, but it’s crammed with detail and manages some lively writing in spots. A worthy document.
April 14, 2022
Gran obra de recerca i propaganda, ben escrita, fonamentada i que serveix als seus objectius.
August 7, 2023
Molt ben relatat
October 30, 2025
"e le dirò, vostro onore, che un governo che è arrivato al punto di considerare degni di rispetto più i suoi segreti che le vite dei suoi cittadini, non è altro ormai che tirannia, che lo si chiami repubblica, monarchia o qualsiasi altra cosa".
una frase che potrebbe essere stata detta in questi giorni in italia, è invece rivolta al giudice thayer dall'avvocato william g. thompson per chiedere di riaprire il processo a nicola sacco e bartolomeo vanzetti (rest forever here in our hearts). si apre così il pamphlet che john dos passos scrisse nel 1927 quando i due italiani erano a un passo dalla sedia elettrica - inutilmente. i due erano già stati scagionati dall'accusa di rapina e omicidio, le testimonianze erano state chiaramente comprate, la frenesia di eliminare i radical dagli stati uniti - peggio che mai se "wops" - era all'apice. la protesta di tanti intellettuali e di tanta gente più o meno nota fu vana. la credibilità della giustizia americana vacillò e sacco e vanzetti divennero due martiri. leggere questo libretto fa fremere di sdegno, senza retorica. vanzetti, che aveva studiato, amava una frase di sant'agostino: nel sangue dei martiri è il seme della libertà. fosse vero. il curatore piero colacicchi scrive: "gli immigrati italiani su cui cadeva il sospetto di reati, e che erano spesso poverissimi e ignoranti della lingua e delle norme americane (sacco imparò l'inglese in carcere), venivano spesso condannati in base a prove raccozzate e in un'atmosfera di sospetto generalizzato, per non dire di aperto razzismo". sarebbe bello poter dire che queste cose non succedono più.
una frase che potrebbe essere stata detta in questi giorni in italia, è invece rivolta al giudice thayer dall'avvocato william g. thompson per chiedere di riaprire il processo a nicola sacco e bartolomeo vanzetti (rest forever here in our hearts). si apre così il pamphlet che john dos passos scrisse nel 1927 quando i due italiani erano a un passo dalla sedia elettrica - inutilmente. i due erano già stati scagionati dall'accusa di rapina e omicidio, le testimonianze erano state chiaramente comprate, la frenesia di eliminare i radical dagli stati uniti - peggio che mai se "wops" - era all'apice. la protesta di tanti intellettuali e di tanta gente più o meno nota fu vana. la credibilità della giustizia americana vacillò e sacco e vanzetti divennero due martiri. leggere questo libretto fa fremere di sdegno, senza retorica. vanzetti, che aveva studiato, amava una frase di sant'agostino: nel sangue dei martiri è il seme della libertà. fosse vero. il curatore piero colacicchi scrive: "gli immigrati italiani su cui cadeva il sospetto di reati, e che erano spesso poverissimi e ignoranti della lingua e delle norme americane (sacco imparò l'inglese in carcere), venivano spesso condannati in base a prove raccozzate e in un'atmosfera di sospetto generalizzato, per non dire di aperto razzismo". sarebbe bello poter dire che queste cose non succedono più.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews