Victor Grayson: In Search of Britain’s Lost Revolutionary
by Harry Taylor
Pluto Press £16.99

HARRY TAYLOR hasn’t solved every riddle involving Victor Grayson, but his investigation of this complex and enigmatic figure is thorough and enthralling. Grayson, a charismatic and fiery socialist orator, was seduced into serving the establishment he hated before his mysterious disappearance in September 1920.

The book builds on earlier biographies by socialist journalist Reg Groves and Labour peer David Clark, but roundly refutes a bizarre conspiracy theory concocted by right-wing journalist Donald McCormick. The motives for further investigation are Taylor’s discovery of fresh information, and his conviction that Grayson’s story holds lessons for the British left in the wake of the defeat of Jeremy Corbyn. There’s a sense in which we’re haunted by Grayson.