The Future in Our Past by Callum Cant and Matthew Lee

Last updated: 2 October 2026

What The Future in Our Past covers

The General Strike began on 4 May 1926, when the Trades Union Congress called out around 1.7 million workers in support of miners facing pay cuts and longer hours. It ended nine days later, when the TUC called it off without a deal for the miners, who stayed out on their own for months afterwards.

Cant and Lee follow the strike through the places where it was strongest: the London docklands, the South Wales coalfields, and the railways and warehouses of middle England. They describe a government that feared revolution, with Churchill among the loudest voices. On the ground, rank-and-file militants ran the strike as much as union leaders did.

The book then comes up to the present. The authors revisit those same communities a century on and ask what the strike can teach workers organising today.

Who wrote it

Callum Cant writes about work and how workers organise, both as a researcher and from experience. For example, his earlier book, Riding for Deliveroo, came out of his own time as a food delivery rider. Matthew Lee is his co-author, and the pair went back to the strike's heartlands for the present-day chapters.

Huw Beynon, co-author of The Shadow of the Mine, says the book "should be widely read".

Key facts

• Full title: The Future in Our Past: The General Strike, 1926/2026
• Authors: Callum Cant and Matthew Lee
• Publisher: Verso Books
• Published: 28 April 2026
• Format: paperback, 160 pages, and ebook
• ISBN: 9781836742616
• Price: £11.99 RRP for the paperback, £7.50 for the ebook from Verso

Who it suits

• Readers new to 1926: at 160 pages it covers the whole strike in an evening or two, and it does not assume you know the background.
• Trade unionists and organisers: the present-day chapters ask what the strike means for workers organising now.
• Anyone with family in mining or the docks: the book follows the strike through the coalfields and the docklands.

The limits

This is a short book with a clear point of view. Verso is a left-wing publisher and the authors write from the strikers' side. So if you want a neutral account of the government's position, you will need a second source. The length also means individual events get a page or two rather than a chapter. For a fuller timeline, the National Archives' story of the General Strike sets out the nine days with original documents.

Where to buy The Future in Our Past in the UK

Amazon UK had the paperback at £13.19 on 2 October 2026. Meanwhile Bookshop.org, which shares its profits with independent bookshops, had it at £11.39 on Bookshop.org. Buying direct from Verso at £11.99 includes the ebook free with the paperback.

We also picked it as a book of the month, and our longer piece on The Future in Our Past goes into why.

The Future in Our Past on Amazon UK

FAQs

What is The Future in Our Past about?

It is a history of the 1926 General Strike, written for the centenary rather than as an academic study. Callum Cant and Matthew Lee tell the story of the nine days, then visit the same communities today to look at work and organising now.

How much does The Future in Our Past cost?

The paperback has an RRP of £11.99. On 2 October 2026 Amazon UK had it at £13.19 and Bookshop.org at £11.39. Verso sells the ebook on its own for £7.50.

How long is the book?

The paperback has 160 pages, so most readers will finish it in two sittings or so.

When was The Future in Our Past published?

Verso published it on 28 April 2026, a week before the strike's hundredth anniversary on 4 May.

Is it a good first book on the General Strike?

Yes, because it is short and assumes no background. It does take the strikers' side, though, so pair it with the National Archives material if you want the government's view as well.

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