Might is Right
The 1896 social Darwinist tract published as Ragnar Redbeard. Arthur Desmond is the most commonly claimed author, with Jack London also proposed; the question is unsettled.
- Original byline
- Ragnar Redbeard
- Published
- 1896
- Form
- Novels
- Authorship
- Disputed: Arthur Desmond is a candidate, not a fact
- Attribution source
- Wikidata P50; Wikipedia notes the most commonly claimed authors are Arthur Desmond or Jack London
- Reason for anonymity
- Unrecorded
- Copyright
- Public domain
- Reference
- Wikipedia · Wikidata
The authorship story
Might is Right, credited to Ragnar Redbeard, appeared in Chicago in 1896, a snarling tract preaching force as the only law and mocking every creed of equality. The pseudonym was never resolved in its author's lifetime. The most commonly claimed author is the New Zealand agitator and poet Arthur Desmond, whose movements and style fit; a persistent minority tradition has argued for the young Jack London, a claim scholarship treats with skepticism. No documentary proof has settled the matter, and this site records the attribution as disputed. The book's afterlife on the political fringe has kept the question uncomfortably alive.
Questions readers ask
Who wrote Might is Right?
The authorship of Might is Right is disputed. Arthur Desmond is a documented candidate, but the attribution has never been established, and this entry does not state it as fact.
Can I read Might is Right for free?
Yes. Might is Right is in the public domain and the full text is free to read at the Internet Archive.
When was Might is Right published?
Might is Right was published in 1896, credited to Ragnar Redbeard.
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