Books by Karl Marx
Karl Marx was a 19th-century German philosopher who had a huge impact on world history with his formulation of communism as a way of combating the horrors of the capitalism that had resulted from the Industrial Revolution. Our interview about Marx and Marxism is with political theorist Terrell Carver of the University of Bristol. The best place to start with Marx is by reading The Communist Manifesto. Written with his friend, Friedrich Engels, it is short and clear (in contrast to his later work, Capital). If you’re new to Marx, there’s also a nice comic book, Introducing Marx: A Graphic Guide, by the Mexican cartoonist and intellectual, Rius, which puts him in context. Our most recommended biography of Karl Marx is Karl Marx: A Nineteenth-Century Life (2013) by Jonathan Sperber. For a biography that’s more focused on his philosophy, there’s also Karl Marx: His Life and Thought (1973) by David McLellan.
“I chose The Communist Manifesto, rather than, say, Capital because it shows in a much easier-to-read, shorter work something that is central to Marx’s vision. ..The Communist Manifesto is an early work, published in February 1848, the year of revolutions in Europe, when Marx was not quite 30. The Manifesto shows Marx still thinking within the framework of Hegel’s ideas about contradiction but transforming them from something that’s happening in our consciousness to something that’s happening in the material world.” Read more...
The Best Nineteenth-Century Philosophy Books
Peter Singer, Philosopher
“They were written by Marx for himself, never intended for publication — or certainly not in this form. I think some of them are really first drafts with Marx writing in a high state of excitement…Marx was one of the most intelligent people who ever lived, with the most penetrating mind, and a philosophical training. In the 1844 Manuscripts he is exploring the classic works in economics and writing notes as a student as well as copying extracts. Some parts are copied, some parts are paraphrased. And there is also Marx’s own commentary. You see him taking Adam Smith’s writings — and the mythology is that Smith is one of the great defenders of capitalism — and Marx finds, in the Wealth of Nations, a whole range of criticisms of capitalism that sound just like Marx.” Read more...
The best books on Political Philosophy
Jonathan Wolff, Philosopher
Interviews where books by Karl Marx were recommended
The best books on Political Philosophy, recommended by Jonathan Wolff
British philosopher Jonathan Wolff chooses five books by thinkers who have shaped the field of political philosophy. He explores the experiences that influenced each writer, saying ‘it’s very rare for philosophers to say very much about their history and what brought them to the views they have’.
The best books on Global History, recommended by Felipe Fernández-Armesto
Embracing global history allows us to see humans with a much clearer perspective. Historian Felipe Fernández-Armesto introduces us to some of the trailblazing books in the field, starting in the 2nd century BCE.
The Best Nineteenth-Century Philosophy Books, recommended by Peter Singer
The nineteenth century saw not only a widespread interest in philosophical ideas but also philosophy’s development as a more rigorous discipline. Australian philosopher Peter Singer introduces us to the highlights of a century of philosophy books.
The best books on The Roots of Radicalism, recommended by Michael Kazin
History professor and co-editor of Dissent magazine, Michael Kazin, looks back at US leftist movements from abolitionism to Vietnam to see where OWS came from and what it can learn from the past.
The best books on Communism recommended by Robert Conquest