The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists


Read by Tadhg

(4.8 stars; 122 reviews)

Clearly frustrated at the refusal of his contemporaries to recognise the iniquity of society, Tressell's cast of hypocritical Christians, exploitative capitalists and corrupt councillors provide a backdrop for his main target — the workers who think that a better life is "not for the likes of them". Hence the title of the book; Tressell paints the workers as "philanthropists" who throw themselves into back-breaking work for poverty wages in order to generate profit for their masters.

The hero of the book, Frank Owen, is a socialist who believes that the capitalist system is the real source of the poverty he sees all around him. In vain he tries to convince his fellow workers of his world view, but finds that their education has trained them to distrust their own thoughts and to rely on those of their "betters". Much of the book consists of conversations between Owen and the others, or more often of lectures by Owen in the face of their jeering; this was presumably based on Tressell's own experiences.(Summary by Tadhg) (22 hr 38 min)

Chapters

Preface 4:00 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 1, Part 1 20:24 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 1, Part 2 21:17 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 2, Part 1 19:01 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 2, Part 2 20:59 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 3, Part 1 17:04 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 3, Part 2 22:09 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 4 10:16 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 5 14:12 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 6, Part 1 21:48 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 6, Part 2 16:52 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 7 26:41 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 8 14:11 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 9 5:44 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 10 14:51 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 11 12:23 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 12 6:06 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 13 16:41 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 14 10:58 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 15, Part 1 19:25 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 15, Part 2 23:33 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 16 19:09 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 17 28:31 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 18 11:13 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 19 29:07 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 20 20:19 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 21 34:02 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 22 22:47 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 23 22:02 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 24 36:37 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 25, Part 1 26:54 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 25, Part 2 21:28 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 25, Part 3 23:55 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 26 15:11 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 27 8:56 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 28 19:40 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 29 17:55 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 30 12:19 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 31 3:34 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 32 4:11 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 33 14:52 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 34 28:39 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 35 13:15 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 36 12:46 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 37 22:05 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 38 10:29 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 39 17:56 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 40 22:13 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 41 20:58 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 42 15:54 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 43, Part 1 38:55 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 43, Part 2 32:42 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 43, Part 3 31:12 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 44, Part 1 28:46 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 44, Part 2 38:17 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 45, Part 1 15:42 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 45, Part 2 40:03 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 45, Part 3 23:24 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 45, Part 4 21:37 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 46 16:17 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 47 33:54 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 48 54:39 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 49 7:27 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 50 14:54 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 51 15:47 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 52 10:37 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 53 10:34 Read by Tadhg
Chapter 54 23:02 Read by Tadhg
Appendix 5:28 Read by Tadhg

Reviews

Very nearly brilliant


(4 stars)

The message in this book is superb, it's just way too long and repeats itself over and over again. Loved some of the characters though and the surnames of the elite ruling classes. You can almost taste the squalor that the poor working classes are forced to endure. My first Librivox download and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The guy reading annoyed me a bit at first but I gradually came to enjoy his strong Irish brogue. Sometimes the chapters jump a bit but it's a small price to pay a free audiobook.

desertbug


(4.5 stars)

Vlands summed up nicely rather repetitive overworked theme but wonderful reading by Tadgh as ever. Still skipping chapters in run on which is annoying. Excellent study of Socialism and as another reviewer stated as relevant today as when written. Thanks for taking the time to bring this to life.

Ragged Trousered


(5 stars)

Written by a housepainter in 1910, this book exposes the abusive working conditions of the painting trade and is a undisguised explanation of the solution, socialism. If there are other first hand descriptions of working class occupations of this period that delve as deeply, I have not seen them. It is terrible to note that one false step on the part of Tressel's slave-like painters would have placed them amoung Jack London's "People of Abyss". http://www.archive.org/details/people_of_abyss_pw_librivox As usual, narrator Tadhg Hynes does a flawless job. Thank you, Tadhg, for bringing this important book back to the public attention. TheBookworm (Manchester, UK)

Tadhg is a superb reader . As usual i can't reserve my initial comment till fi…


(4 stars)

the beginning of chapter 7 . Tadhg reads in a very good Irish brogue , if not dialect at least Irish accent . This one of the great socio-economic criticism novels right up there with writers George Gissing, Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell , Charles Dickens , Victor Hugo, Eugene Sue , et al . Even more important is the fact writer of this novel was based on the real life experiences of a working man, house painter and sign painter , who was constantly struggling to care for his daughter and not to end up in the horrible british workhouse , aka poorhouse

Excellent.. listen now!


(5 stars)

Great stuff! I was recommended the book by a friend, but went for the audio book format due to time constraints. This being a worthy tome, there's a good length of listening time here, which suits me well. Tadhg has an alluring voice, even for a scene of small town southern England. It was very interesting to note that, while the tale is set before World War 1 and the Russian revolution, so many points expressed seem so relevant over a century later. This being my first experience here, I'm sure I'll be delving further into the catalogue, including more narrated by Tadhg.

engaging and so relevant today


(5 stars)

In addition to the narrator’s delightful lilt this novel describes working conditions, social interactions political perspectives that are as familiar today as when they were written. The economic struggles of hard-working laborers and their micromanagement by stingy employers is something many of us have experienced directly even in the 21st century. Most telling is the accurate description of the brainwashing involved that gets working people to bow down to the wealthy and support the rigged system that keeps workers struggling from paycheck to paycheck.

Wonderfully Read Treatise on Class Struggle


(5 stars)

I would listen to the narrator read the phone book. My thanks to him for all that he has contributed. This book is not unlike The Jungle or other stories of class struggle. It does a good job portraying a variety of characters, is well written and uses some obvious and funny tongue in cheek language. It is also an idealistic treatise on socialism. And despite the necessarily traffic nature of much of the narrative, offers an optimistic ending.

An Important Book


(5 stars)

This is a moving account, highlighting exactly why we need laws to protect the poorest and most vulnerable members of our society from exploitation by the rich and powerful. The descriptions of what it is like to live in dire poverty (drawn from the author's own experiences) are heart-breaking. Everyone should read this book. The quality of reading was excellent, the characters came to life and I was constantly engaged. Thank you Tadhg for making this book available.