John Merrick is a writer and editor originally from Crewe, now based in London. He is deputy editor at The Break Down, having previously been a commissioning editor at Verso Books.

His writing has appeared in the Baffler, Guardian, Jacobin, Vittles, New Left Review, Boston Review and elsewhere. His work looks at class, culture and history as they shape the present.

Recent pieces have included essays on the novels of Alan Garner, the historical and intellectual roots of conservatism and the rise of the "new right" in Britain, and on working class identity. Links to his writing can be found here.

His edited collection of Raphael Samuel's historical essay was published by Verso Books in 2024, and was reviewed in the London Review of Books and other publications.

His current projects include a book on the concept of decline, a study of nature and the British countryside as it has been understood on both the left and the right over the past century, a history of dissent in Britain, and a history of communism and commitment told through the stories of those who left the Communist Party following the turbulent events of 1956.

johnphilipmerrick@gmail.com