Brand-Anarchy

The idea of a brand goes back to ancient times when ownership of livestock was asserted by burning one’s mark onto the animal. This post is about a book called Brand Anarchy, so I thought I’d set the scene. The mark would be applied to the animal with a burning stick known as a firebrand. That word has morphed over the years to describe passionate individuals looking to shake things up, so it is then with etymological pleasure that I note the authors of Brand Anarchy are firebrands. ...