What do you recommend as a good first Carl Marx book?

Question

I have recently become interested in Carl Marx and his philosophy and ideas. I have not read much into him, but I have heard a lot about what he discusses. I am looking for a good start in reading about his ideas and dont know where to start. Does anyone have a recommendation on which one of his books would be a good start?

Answer 1

Of course!  You should start with the Communist Manifesto (The Manifesto of The Communist Party).  There is a great edited version out that has a lot about the political climate that Marx and Engels were writing in.  It's called officially:  The Communist Manifesto: With Related Documents (The Bedford Series in History and Culture)



The Communist Manifesto: With Related Documents (The Bedford Series in History and Culture) by Karl Marx, Frederick Engels, and John E. Toews

The source link is the Amazon link.  You can get it used for 4.00$ American.  It's a great read about conflict theory and class structure from a conflict/marxian perspective.  Good luck.

Answer 2

When I started reading Marx, I began with the "Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts."  It was written in 1844, prior to the Communist Manifesto, and it deals more with the spiritual side of life, rather than his later works which dealt with economics.  I think it is the perfect first book to read for anyone interested in Marx.  I also recommend getting a copy of Erich Fromm's "Marx's Concept of Man" which contains a copy of the "Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts."  It helps break down the issues Marx discusses in the book and may help a person deal with the language Marx uses.  

I would start with this book, because it helps explain the purpose of Communism, where as other works deal with practical issues and criticize capitalism.  When you understand true Communism, you gain a better appreciation for the works that followed.  I would not start with "Das Kapital." It can be a very tough read.

Answer 3

Karl Marx's very famous book was the communist manifesto, he wrote it with Friedrich Engels