Gerrard Winstanley (1609-76), utopian visionary, is perhaps best known as the chief spokesman of the Digger movement. He was a member of the short-lived Digger colony founded on April 1st, 1649. This established itself on St. George's Hill, Surrey, in an attempt to develop a communal lifestyle based on the collective cultivation of the common land. Despite their efforts, the colony fragmented in the face of violent opposition from the local authorities.

Winstanley's writings are an eloquent testimony to the radical practice and ideals of the Diggers. They represent an attempt to develop an integrated way of life opposed to the hierarchical social relations characteristic of the State and its diverse methods of suppression. Winstanley passionately challenges the establishment and their accepted values, taking the part of the poor against the ruling powers, a theme still relevant and urgent today. He argues with vigour against the institution of private property and the practice of commerce, demanding instead that human needs be met by the cultivation of lands made free for all to use.

This selection comprises eight of Winstanley's works from the years 1649-50, the period in which the Digger colony flourished.