[4] The main author of the book, Abbie Hoffman, was one of the most influential and recognizable North American activists of the late 1960s and early 1970s, gaining fame with his leadership in anti-Vietnam War protests.

Steal This Book was written in the climate of the counterculture, in which opposition to tradition and government was rampant, and experimentation with new forms of living was encouraged.

It covers a broad range of items, including food, clothing, furniture, transportation, land, livestock, housing, education, medical care, communication, entertainment, money, and drugs.

This fear proved to be well-founded; in the United States, many regional distributors and bookstores were unwilling to carry the book.

Dotson Rader in The New York Times described it as a "necessary" work "of warning and practical knowledge" that had been written with "gentleness and affection."

"[11] Subsequent to publication, two contributors to the book, Tom Forcade and Izak Haber, had a dispute with Hoffman.

Forcade accused him of failing to pay sufficient royalties, contravening the contract Hoffman had made.

Haber threatened to sue Hoffman for breaking his contract; he claimed that he was due 22 percent of the royalties for having compiled and written the book, but received only $1,000.