The Barber Who Read History: Essays in Radical History: By Rowan Cahill and Terry Irving. Sydney: Bull Ant Press, 2021. Pp. 230. A$30 paper.

Cahill and Irving show that history-making was a key activity in the labour movement, creating a "workable past" that energised activists and voters. Contemporary labour history also gets a whack as too concerned with jargon, credentialing and gap filling, although Cahill and Irving acknowledge that a strong and politically-active labour history community persists. The Barber Who Read History: Essays in Radical History: By Rowan Cahill and Terry Irving. [Extracted from the article]