I'm looking at picking up some new reading material, and I was wondering if anyone would be able to recommend a book on Marxism. I'm not bothered by the reading level, as long as it isn't directed at 4 year olds. Thanks
I'd recommend the man himself! The Portable Marx is a good start. [ame="http://www.amazon.com/The-Portable-Karl-Marx-Library/dp/014015096X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352163735&sr=8-1&keywords=portable+marx&tag=acleint-20"]The Portable Karl Marx (Portable Library): Karl Marx, Eugene Kamenka: 9780140150964: Amazon.com: Books[/ame] Cheap as chips used!
for the history/period I'd read Hobsbawm ('Age of Capital' onwards), if you can find this well worth a read http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Marxs-Pol...0830457124?pt=Non_Fiction&hash=item2ec26d9524
I can recommend a range of stuff - I'll put it all in here with the caveat that some of it might be boring/too academic to get in to unless you need it for a specific purpose! Another problem with Marx (and this is partly down to him, partly down to his era) is that if you're not used to it, his writing style can be a right pain in the ass. So where I've recommended bits written by him, bear that in mind! So, on Marxism: 'Karl Marx's theory of History: A Defence' by G.A. Cohen http://press.princeton.edu/titles/320.html It's a good read and an impassioned defence of Marxism through one of Marx's absolute key lines of thought - However, it's an academic book through and through. 'Karl Marx: Selected Writings' by David McLellan http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Karl_Marx.html?id=OYIrSgAACAAJ An essential handbook! 'A Companion to Marx's Capital' by David Harvey [ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Companion-Marxs-Capital-David-Harvey/dp/1844673596"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Companion-Marxs-Capital-David-Harvey/dp/1844673596[/ame] Tactics to help you read Marx's most boring, yet in some ways most important, book...! David Harvey is very good. 'Grundrisse: Foundations of the Critique of Political Economy' by Karl Marx http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Grundrisse.html?id=bDyemaqiZjUC Seminal book that allows you to get a picture for Marx's foundational thinking. Very important. I'm not going to recommend The Communist Manifesto because 1) it's not all that good 2) it's a sensationalist manifesto - Marx originally didn't want to write it as he didn't think the conditions were right for it, but he was pressured/persuaded, and it is a bit rushed. It doesn't really bring across the real Marx if you ask me, and it's always the first thing people go to in order to have a pop. Understandable but not always fair! I should also say that there are plenty of foundational writings of Marx and Marxists available for free on Marxists.org - which is a fantastic website! You may or may not find any of this useful. Though I 'do' Marx I'm better with Marxism more generally and particularly socialism (and social democracy) more generally. And lastly, if you want to get in to Gramsci, let me know - I can help there!
