Ten Days That Shook the World

 'Brilliant and entertaining'
—The New York Times Book Review

Ten Days That Shook the World is John Reed’s eyewitness account of the Russian Revolution. Reed was a legendary journalist who was present at the flash point in 1917, and the book provides an intense and informative account of one of the greatest events of the twentieth century.

Capturing the spirit of those heady days of excitement and idealism, Reed's account follows the prominent Bolshevik leaders, as well as vividly capturing the mood of the masses. Verbatim reports of speeches by leaders, and comments of bystanders—set against an idealized backdrop of the proletariat united with soldiers, sailors, and peasants—are balanced by passionate narratives describing the fall of the provisional government, the assault on the Winter Palace, and Lenin's seizure of power.

Reed’s account remains an unsurpassed classic of reporting, acclaimed worldwide since its first publication in 1919. Endorsed by Lenin as a 'truthful and most vivid exposition', the work was the basis for the Academy Award-winning 1981 film Reds.

John Reed (1887-1920) was an American journalist and poet-adventurer whose colourful life as a revolutionary writer ended in Russia but made him the hero of a generation of radical intellectuals. Reed became a close friend of V.I. Lenin and was an eyewitness to the 1917 October revolution. He is buried with other Bolshevik heroes beside the Kremlin wall.