Early Writings (Penguin Classics) [Mass Market Paperback]

Karl Marx (Author), Rodney Livingstone (Translator), Gregor Benton (Translator), Lucio Colletti (Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Penguin Classics | Publication Date: December 27, 2005

Written in 1833-4, when Marx was barely twenty-five, this astonishingly rich body of works formed the cornerstone for his later political philosophy. In the Critique of Hegel's "Doctrine of the State", he dissects Hegel's thought and develops his own views on civil society, while his Letters reveal a furious intellect struggling to develop the egalitarian theory of state. Equally challenging are his controversial essay, "On the Jewish Question and the Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts", where Marx first made clear his views on alienation, the state, democracy and human nature. Brilliantly insightful, Marx's "Early Writings" reveal a mind on the brink of one of the most revolutionary ideas in human history - the theory of Communism. This translation fully conveys the vigour of the original works. The introduction, by Lucio Colletti, considers the beliefs of the young Marx and explores these writings in the light of the later development of Marxism.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, German (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Karl Marx (1818-1883). The core of Marx's economic analysis found early expression in the Okonomisch-philosophische Manuskripte aus dem Jahre 1844 (Economic and Political Manuscripts of 1844). There, Marx argued that the conditions of modern industrial societies invariably result in the estrangement (or alienation) of workers from their own labor. In his review of a Bruno Baier book, On the Jewish Question (1844), Marx decried the lingering influence of religion over politics and proposed a revolutionary re-structuring of European society. Much later, Marx undertook a systematic explanation of his economic theories in Das Kapital (Capital) (1867-95) and Theorien uber den Mehrwert (Theory of Surplus Value) (1862).

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (December 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140445749
• ISBN-13: 978-0140445749
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #96,861 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( M ) > Marx, Karl
  • #38 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Professionals & Academics > Philosophers

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars indispensable..., April 25, 2008

By 

Y. Hermeto - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Early Writings (Penguin Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

Indispensable for a correct reading of Karl Marx. To fully understand his point of view and critics you need to cover the early writings first, so that you won't form a wrong idea what Marxism is about, like most people usually do.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Translation Difficulties, January 7, 2011

By 

Tristano Casazza (Genoa, Italy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Early Writings (Penguin Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

Part of the function of this compilations inaccessibility, on which other reviewers have commented, is the nature of the translation. For instance, although I have read several translations of "On the Jewish Question," I found this translation to be the most difficult. A beginner would do much better to start with "The Marx-Reader," which includes "Capital" part I as well as other important works by Marx and Engels.

Rarely do I find a Penguin Classic that is true to the Classic off which Penguin is cashing in.

6 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not for beginners, September 15, 2003

By 

Brett (South Dakota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Early Writings (Penguin Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

As someone who thought he had a relatively good grasp of what Marxist philsophy is comprised of, it came as something of a surprise that this text was so incomprehensible. This was the first actual Marx I have ever set out to read. I believed that _Early Writings_ might a good place to start (you know: start at the beginning, as they say). At any rate, I would encourage someone who is a novice at this sort of thing to start with another book. From the very start I had a difficult time determing exactly what Marx was getting at. The first 200 pages are a refutation to a Hegelian concept of the state. If you are not familiar with the writings and ideas of Hegel, you will not want to read that particular work. The second half of the book is more approachable, but not what I would term "accessible" by any means. I would recommend this only to people that already have extensive knowledge of Marx's terminology and belief systems. Without this prerequisite, you might as well be reading Latin.