Customer Reviews

Selected Writings (Essential Thinkers)

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This is an excellent selection of the writings of Karl Marx. This includes many writings which do not make it into the usual Marx/Engels Readers; Writings including Marx's Letters, his criticism of Bakunin, more writings on economics than in the usual Reader, and so on. One flaw of it, though, is that it does not contain the later writings of Engels writen after Marx's death. I suppose this is to be expected; It is after all *Marx's* writings, not Engels. However, the loss does not affect it much, and the book is still one of the most valuable tomes of Marxism I've bought. I'd recommend anyone interested in the thought of Karl Marx to get this book; If one is interested in both the writings of Marx and Engels, I'd recommend they get this book and the Marx/Engels Reader to supplement it. I have both, and both are fascinating.

This is the best Marx anthology available. Aside from selections taken from all of Marx's major works, it contains lesser-known selections on a variety of topics. The whole presents a steady stream of selections through Marx's life. Consequently, it gives the length and breadth of Marx's writing without burying you in a life-time of reading. Short explanatory introductions help place the selections in Marx's development and in broader history.

A good follow up is Main Currents of Marxism by Leszek Kolakowski (3 volumes). Unfortunately those books are out of print in America, but they can still be found in good libraries and in the used-book market.

When one considers the incredible influence that Marxism has had in the unfolding history of the later nineteenth and twentieth century, the beginning student of the combined writings of both Marx and Engels will find this collection of the essential works of these two pioneering socialists absolutely essential reading. Its list of included works covers the waterfront of all that is required to gain a fruitful first look at the wealth of their philosophical musings, and the nature of their revolutionary canon, as well. Reading this material is essential if one is to understand the depth of Marx's understanding and the detail of his genius, however discredited he may be in current estimations. Indeed, with the rise of international corporatism is so close to his prognostications regarding the final phases of capitalism that it is hard to deny his continuing relevance.

Included here is everything from the Communist Manifesto all the way to Volume One of Das Capital. One can gain a better appreciation for his ideas regarding the way in which the antagonism between the oppressed and the oppressors provides the motive force for history, and how all history is the history of such class struggles between the owners of the means of production, on the one hand, and the workers, who have nothing to barter with but their considerable capacity to accomplish labor. If one want to gain a better appreciation for the nuances regarding how alienation is created buy the organization of work, or the origin of property, or even the ways in which all of the aspects of a particualr society's culture are manifestations of the values of the ruling class, then a careful reading of the material found here will serve you well. I highly recommend this book. Enjoy!

This is a brilliant collection of some of the very best writings of Karl Marx. A must read for anyone with interest in Marx's early writings (non-Marxist period), letters, essays, his Doctoral thesis, and then later on his political writings forming the `theory of historical materialism', commonly referred to as Marxism. Personally, his `Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts 1844' is really a very nice reading because it renders a very attractive insight into Marx's early intellectual and psychological fight against Hegel's Phenomenology to form the basis of his theory later on. Also included is: Critique of Hegel's works and A Poverty of Philosophy (critique of Proudhon) which are excellent readings. Recommended to everyone; quintessentially to anyone trying to get an insight into one of the greatest intellectual minds of all time.

Subhasish Ghosh

St. Cross College
University of Oxford

This selection of Marx's works edited by McClellan is wide enough to enable one to determine Marx's importance as a political thinker. Engels forever saw Marx's central achievement as "scientific socialism", but Marxism is not a science for its predictions are inaccurate. Marx wrongly predicted that workers would remain close to subsistence level, with many reduced to "pauperism". He was wrong to predict inexorably falling profits. He thought society would divide into just two classes but failed to see the rise of the managerial class and white collar workers in general. He predicted revolutions in advanced countries, but revolutions have been in backward countries such as Russia and China and Marxist only in name.

If Engels was wrong did Marx contribute anything of lasting significance? What about historical materialism? Engels compared Marx's "law of development of human history" with Darwin's "law of development of organic nature." The theory supposes that economic relations provide the substructure of society which determines the nature of the "superstructure", i.e. the law, form of government, culture etc. The theory of the dialectic used in this has been discredited, and too many of Marx's followers adopted a crude economic determinism. However, a refined historical materialism helps us to understand that many institutions, ideas and events are at least influenced by economic matters. The European Reformation and the English Civil War are among events illuminated by the kernel of truth in historical materialism.

The theory of the class struggle is inextricably interwoven with historical materialism, for it is through the class struggle that history unfolds. Much of what Marx wrote on class in now seen as defunct, and critics disagree with Marx's use of class primarily as an economic group. However, Marx's theory of class that all forms of inequality can be reduced to social class, and his argument that classes form the only significant social groups in society, comprises one of the two theories (Weber's being the other) that now dominate modern thinking on class. This is a measure of Marx's continuing importance as an analyst of class.

Marx's theory of alienation has risen in critical esteem as scientific socialism has declined. Alienation means that people are unable to derive satisfaction from their work, or from the products of their labour. Marx supposed that alienation arose from an economic system involving the exchange of goods, for the goods produced became mere "commodities" for sale rather than the means to "self-realisation". Marx observed that two features of modern industry - mechanisation and specialisation - further increase alienation, but believed that is capitalism itself that is more important. In this he has been often criticised but alienation is an important concept and like other worthwhile theories has stimulated thought and led to modified alienation theories such as those of Gorz and Marcuse, whose theories encompass leisure as well as work, such that under capitalism people are alienated from both work and leisure.

Also significant is Marx's view of human nature, a key element in political thought. Marx supposed that human nature is malleable, altering according to socio-economic conditions in each time-period. Few people now agree with Marx that human nature is as pliable as he supposed but almost all agree with him that human nature can and does change according to circumstances.

Finally there is Marx's critique of the liberal conception of freedom. The mid-nineteenth century was dominated by the liberal concepts of negative liberty, the minimal state and laissez-faire economics. Marx, however, saw that actions that are rational and utility-maximising for individuals could harm the interests of society as a whole. Take the vexed issue of private versus public transport. The roads into many major cities are choked every morning with commuter traffic. Buses could complete the journey in a fraction of the time (and assist commercial transport to the benefit of the whole economy). An individual can use a bus, but whilst there are so many cars the bus is no quicker and less convenient. The liberal conception of freedom has led to a paradox: we have each chosen in our own interests, but the result is in no one's interest. Individual rationality, collective irrationality. Marx saw that capitalism involved this sort of collective irrationality. The problem, of course, is how to persuade people to cooperate for the common good (to use the bus in the above example) without unacceptable coercion, for it is in the interests of each individual for others to participate in the collective action whilst he remains a free-rider. Nevertheless, this in no way invalidates the force of Marx's critique of liberal freedom.

This is and excellent selection of Karl Marx's works, especially for those who do not have enough time to go specifically through all of his works.

Just because it's in the public domain doesn't mean you should I for the cheapest copy. This book barely functions as a book. Pony up for a decent copy, it's worth it.