A genealogy of fanaticism-unearthing its long history, before it became a tool in the Clash of Civilizations. “Succinct yet expansively allusive in scope, dense yet highly readable, Fanaticism is a multi-levelled investigation into the role that the idea of the fanatic has played in political discourse.”
—Mark Fisher, Frieze

“A tour de force in every sense—Toscano wipes the smug smiles off the self-righteous faces of the New Philosophers.”
—Mike Davis, author of Planet of Slums

“Gets the synapses firing … The book has brio, it is bolstered by wide-ranging scholarship and it will make you re-examine one of the most dangerous words in the political lexicon.”
—Catholic Herald