The Terms "left" and "right" have become ingrained in our minds - in politics, economics and social theory. As Hugh Graham argues in this absorbing book, however, these concepts have always distorted and limited the way we think about politics and ourselves - and this is true today more than ever. Socialism versus capitalism, collectivism versus individualism, government programmes versus the free market; all these oppositions add up to an obsolete world view. Graham explores the past, present and future of left and right, beginning with the French Revolution and taking readers through the Industrial Revolution, communism and fascism, past the Cold War and into our current puzzling state of affairs. Graham offers powerful hope for a more mature, nuanced sense of community and individuality.