Reading List For Beginners

[LOLseph Stalin]

I'm sure there has probably been a thread about this in the past, but it's something I have been thinking about. Together as a leftist community I think we should compile a list of texts to recommend to beginners as this is a commonly asked thing. Also, can an admin please sticky this?

The list:

Economics

Wage Labour and Capital - Karl Marx
Value, Price and Profit - Karl Marx
Marx's Capital for Beginners - Smith & Evans
Factories and Workshops- Peter Kropotkin

General

Communist Manifesto- Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels
Socialism: Utopian and Scientific- Friedrich Engels
Principles of Communism - Frederick Engels
ABC of Socialism- Leo Huberman
Marx for Beginners - Rius
Mao's Red Book- Mao Zedong
ABC of Anarchism- Alexander Berkman

History

The Civil War in France - Karl Marx
Critique of the Gotha Programme - Karl Marx
Ten Days that Shook the World - John Reed
The Che Guevara Reader - Ernesto 'Che' Guevara
The Revolution Betrayed - Leon Trotsky
The Russian Revolution- Rosa Luxemburg

The State/Revolution

The State and Revolution - Vladimir Lenin
Marxism, Freedom, and the State - Mikhail Bakunin
God and the State - Mikhail Bakunin
Nationalism and Cultural- Rudolf Rocker
Socialism and War- Vladimir Lenin
Reform or Revolution- Rosa Luxemburg

Philosophy

On Contradiction- Mao Zedong
On the Significance of Militant Materialism-Lenin

[Chairman^-_-^]

I think it would also be a good idea to suggest different texts for different age groups and or reading levels. Sometimes I have been told the Communist Manifesto is too elusive.

[*Viva La Revolucion*]

I like this idea. As a 'beginner' it would be useful to have advice about some good, introductory texts.

I would recommend The Communist Manifesto. A bit of an obvious choice, perhaps. :lol:

Edit: I understand how it could be described as elusive, but it's still important and maybe some annotations would make it clearer.

[LOLseph Stalin]

I thought State and Revolution by Vladimir Lenin may be a helpful thing to add for a beginner's text on Leninism.

[mikelepore]

Engels, Socialism: Utopian and Scientific
I recommend this to the beginner not mainly because of what the title says, but because so much of it is written in plain language, without a lot of undefined vocabulary or references to obscure philosophers.

[LOLseph Stalin]

Engels, Socialism: Utopian and Scientific
I recommend this to the beginner not mainly because of what the title says, but because so much of it is written in plain language, without a lot of undefined vocabulary or references to obscure philosophers.

Yea, I have actually found Engels to be easier to understand than Marx. I think it's because he is able to write in simpler language.

[Nwoye]

The Communist Manifesto - Karl Marx, Frederick Engels
Principles of Communism - Frederick Engels
Critique of the Gotha Programme - Karl Marx
The Civil War in France - Karl Marx
The State and Revolution - Vladimir Lenin
Marxism, Freedom, and the State - Mikhail Bakunin
God and the State - Mikhail Bakunin

Any suggestions?

[New Tet]

Engels, Socialism: Utopian and Scientific
I recommend this to the beginner not mainly because of what the title says, but because so much of it is written in plain language, without a lot of undefined vocabulary or references to obscure philosophers.

I second this suggestion. Aside from being one of the founders of modern communism, Engels was very much to socialism what Carl Sagan was to astronomy or David Atenborough to the natural sciences.

[Chairman^-_-^]

We could also suggest non-theoretical readings guys. If someone is just initally showing intrest in Sociaism they wont bother reading what they would consider obscure writers.

Lets find some porpaganda , modern propaganda articles.

[Dave B]

I agree that the first common mistake is to concentrate on Marx and ignore Engels, Fred is the more readable of the two and it was in fact left to him to present their more ‘general’ views;


"As a consequence of the division of labour that existed between Marx and myself, it fell to me to present our opinions in the periodical press, that is to say, particularly in the fight against opposing views, in order that Marx should have time for the elaboration of his great basic work. Thus it became my task to present our views, for the most part in a polemical form, in opposition to other kinds of views."

http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1872/housing-question/preface.htm (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1872/housing-question/preface.htm)


As to good introductory reading, Part II and III of Anti-Duhring has been left out of the list I think.


http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1877/anti-duhring/index.htm (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1877/anti-duhring/index.htm)

[OriginalGumby]

On the manifesto, Haymarket Books has published a very useful annotated version that explains passages right next too the original. There are also other writings included and study questions.
http://www.haymarketbooks.org/product_info.php?products_id=1602

Also I posted this in another thread but it is relevant. The ISO newspaper ran a series of articles on ten socialist classics in its newspaper.
http://socialistworker.org/series/ten-socialist-classics

[Led Zeppelin]

There are already some reading lists available in the Learning forum (and they're stickied as well).

SolidarityWithIran, can you please collect all the suggestions written by members in the thread and edit it into your original post, and also categorize them according to subject-matter (look at the other stickied threads in Learning for how you can do that).

I can then sticky the thread for you, and do you mind if I move it to learning? :)

[NecroCommie]

I thought State and Revolution by Vladimir Lenin may be a helpful thing to add for a beginner's text on Leninism.
I second this, for it makes very clear our stance on state in a very detailed way. It is also important for more traditional Marxists, even if other teachings of Lenin would not intrest.

[Dave B]

If people are interested in the ‘communist manifesto’ they might also be interested in its 'prototype';


Frederick Engels 1847, Draft of a Communist Confession of Faith

http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/06/09.htm#12 (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/06/09.htm)

With background at 69 at;


http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/cw/volume06/footnote.htm#69 (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/cw/volume06/footnote.htm)

[Djehuti]

Leo Huberman - ABC of Socialism
Leo Huberman - Man's Wordly Goods
Tariq Ali - Clash of the Fundamentalisms

[Sarah Palin]

For "entry level" leftists, I found most things by Engles to be very understandable and enlightening, e.g: http://marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/11/prin-com.htm

[LOLseph Stalin]

There are already some reading lists available in the Learning forum (and they're stickied as well).

SolidarityWithIran, can you please collect all the suggestions written by members in the thread and edit it into your original post, and also categorize them according to subject-matter (look at the other stickied threads in Learning for how you can do that).

I can then sticky the thread for you, and do you mind if I move it to learning? :)

Ok, sure. I can edit my post, and yes, you can move it to learning. :)

[F9]

I wouldnt suggest Bakunin but mehhh.
Anw ABC of Anarchism by Alexander Berkman, and Anarchism and Violence by Errico Malatesta
Ohh and Nationalism and Cultural by Rudolf Rocker

[Brother No. 1]

Socialism and War by Vladimir Lenin.

[Dust Bunnies]

Sticky this please for new members?

[LOLseph Stalin]

Ok, I have started putting them all into a list. Having not read them all myself, please correct me if I'm wrong on some of them. I'll be happy to move them to a different category.

[Brother No. 1]

Anti-Duhring by Frederick Engels dealing with Dialectal Materialism.


On the Correct handling of Contradictions among the people ny Mao-Tse Tung. Sequel to "On Contriditons" and deals with Dialectal Materialism in the Peoples Republic in 1957.


A Dialectial approach to inner-party unity By Mao-Tse tung.

* all of those go under Philosophy but I'm not so sure if "Socialism and war" would go under State/Revolution but rather Philosophy for Socialism and war deals with the phiosophy about how Marxists deal with war.*


Once again on the Trade Unions by Vladimir Lenin.

Role and Functions of the Trade Unions by Lenin

*both under Economics.*

[Nwoye]

If we're going to recommend this many and go in depth anyway, then I'll add Reform or Revolution and The Russian Revolution by Rosa Luxemburg.

[LOLseph Stalin]

It does seem like alot, but perhaps we can narrow it down later? I'm also hoping to get things from all different tendencies.

[Brother No. 1]

On the Significance of Militant Materialism-Lenin *Philosophy*
National Factors in Party and State Affairs-Stalin *State/Revolution*
Against Federalism-Stalin *State/Revolution*
Economic Problems of the USSR-Stalin *Economics*
Foundation of Leninism-Stalin *Philosophy*
Marxism and the National Question-Stalin *State/Revolution*
Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism-Lenin *Economics*
Aim of the Proletarian Struggle in Our Revolution-Lenin *State/Revolution*
The Soviets at work-Lenin *History*

[Dust Bunnies]

We all must remember this thread is for beginner material. I don't think beginners will read every single book out there. :P

Let's keep it simple?

[Led Zeppelin]

Stickied the thread. :)

[Stranger Than Paradise]

Conquest of Bread, Mutual Aid and Fields, Factories and Workshops all by Peter Kropotkin should be on the list.

[kalu]

Why isn't Gramsci up there? Selections from the Prison Notebooks is a "general" must. I've also heard good things about The Philosophy of Marx by Etienne Balibar. With regards to feminism, The Second Sex by Simone De Beauvoir. With regards to (post)colonialism, Orientalism by Edward Said.

Also, for a general (anarchist) collection, No Gods No Masters by Daniel Guerin cannot be beat.

[The Situationist]

I would recommend ...

Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord

Critique of Political Economy and the Exploitation of the Unique by Asger Jorn

[Pogue]

I don't think any beginner would really want to read Debord.

[which doctor]

I think reading lists are a bit silly. The only people who usually care about them are people who've already read a bunch of books. Beginners will open the thread, see a long list of thick, old books on an assortment of topics and close thread, because there's no real starting point. People rarely read from lists; reading choices are a much more organic and unpredictable process.

In all but the most uncommon cases, giving someone a long list of books to read in order to develop an "adequate revolutionary consciousness" is bound to end in boredom. Threads like these usually just boil down to people endorsing whatever pieces endorse their specific tendencies with little attention paid to the historical relevancy of the text.

Besides, look what a generation of Chinese reading Mao's little red book did for their glorious communist state :lol:. There's a lot more to reading than just words on the page.

[kalu]

I think reading lists are a bit silly. The only people who usually care about them are people who've already read a bunch of books. Beginners will open the thread, see a long list of thick, old books on an assortment of topics and close thread, because there's no real starting point. People rarely read from lists; reading choices are a much more organic and unpredictable process.

In all but the most uncommon cases, giving someone a long list of books to read in order to develop an "adequate revolutionary consciousness" is bound to end in boredom. Threads like these usually just boil down to people endorsing whatever pieces endorse their specific tendencies with little attention paid to the historical relevancy of the text.

Besides, look what a generation of Chinese reading Mao's little red book did for their glorious communist state :lol:. There's a lot more to reading than just words on the page.

Perhaps, but I sometimes find useful books I've never noticed on these sorts of lists. The list shouldn't be seen as a "Read ALL of this," but a skimmed down bibliography for people to pick and choose what interests them. I definitely benefit from Amazon "Listmania!"

[bosgek]

Perhaps it's a good idea to add a short (3 sentence) description of the book if the list gets long.

Most books describe working conditions 80+ years ago, today the conditions and workers have changed due to: socialist reforms, mass media that turns everybody into docile sheep, less monotonous work (due to robots in factories), a shift from agriculture and industry to the services sector, shorter times people work for an employer etc.
These conditions have a profound effect on society, but were hardly known in the era the books are written.

I was wondering if there are any good books about how communism changed with society, or about what new communist views there are.

One good, but not very leftist, book about modern working conditions and how it has affected us is 'the craftsman' by prof. Richard Sennett. It describes how capitalism is braking down whatever skills we would be able to have, why Soviet Union workers were very unmotivated for the same reason and gives hints on how to change.

[ZeroNowhere]

'Reclaiming Marx's Capital' by Kliman (Economics). Basically a short summary of Marx's economic theory (or some of it, at least), followed by debunking the transformation problem, simultaneist interpretations and 'corrections' of Marx, and so on.
Also, why is the Critique of the Gotha Program in 'history' when the Manifesto is not?
I suppose Korsch's book 'Karl Marx' could be fit into there too, somewhere.

[amandevsingh]

I would highly recommend Das Kapital it is very easy with David Harvey's course: http://davidharvey.org/

[bananachism]

francis wheen's biography of das kapital isn't too daunting for the younger reader :)

[Coggeh]

Comrades: If people are having trouble in understanding beginners books i would suggest joining this group :


Revolutionary leftism book group for beginners: http://www.revleft.com/vb/group.php?groupid=217

were going to get started by tomorrow i'd say but feel free to join any time at all . :)

[No Capitalism]

Karl Marx: A Brief Biographical Sketch With an Exposition of Marxism by Lenin.

[LOLseph Stalin]

Comrades: If people are having trouble in understanding beginners books i would suggest joining this group :


Revolutionary leftism book group for beginners: http://www.revleft.com/vb/group.php?groupid=217

were going to get started by tomorrow i'd say but feel free to join any time at all . :)



Thanks for that by the way. I for one often have alot of trouble understanding these books.

[cenv]

The Revolution of Everyday Life (http://library.nothingness.org/articles/SI/en/pub_contents/5), by Raoul Vaneigem

It's much easier to read for beginners than Debord is - I read it when I was relatively new to Marxism. Reading it inspired me and gave me a fresh perspective on communism.

[Marika]

Are their any decent documentaries or films that people can recommend?

I personally find it easier to learn by watching something. I have been looking at the David Harvey films on Capital, but are their any other documentaries/lecture series type things which explain any marxist theory properly?

Cheers

[Trosso]

Surely it would be a good idea to list some right wing books too so that people interested can learn both sides? It would make it far easier for people to create valid arguments if they had a proper understanding of both sides.

[Communist]

For an easy-to-understand and very interesting treatise on several aspects of contemporary economics, I recommend "Low Wage Capitalism" by Fred Goldstein. A pdf is available here (http://www.lowwagecapitalism.com/Low-WageCapitalism-lores.pdf).

[RHIZOMES]

Surely it would be a good idea to list some right wing books too so that people interested can learn both sides? It would make it far easier for people to create valid arguments if they had a proper understanding of both sides.

I think right-wing books can be a bit overwhelming for someone who hasn't got a clear grasp of revolutionary leftist politics yet. I remember how formidable and threatening I found right-wing arguments, until my understanding of Marxism made me realize how much right-wing anti-communist ideology is comprised of strawman arguments, thought-terminating cliches and bourgeois jingoistic drivel. it is a cliche to say this but they literally do not have an understanding of what communism actually is. Actually I'd go even further than that cliche (Which is often said by still-recovering liberals who are still new to communism) and say they don't even know what the present-day and historical socialist states were actually like. Not in that these socialist states were amazing utopias or anything, but it seems to boil down to DURR GOVERNMENT CONTROL BAD FREE MARKET GOOD with no serious in-depth analysis of socialist societies.

[Philosophical Materialist]

Surely it would be a good idea to list some right wing books too so that people interested can learn both sides? It would make it far easier for people to create valid arguments if they had a proper understanding of both sides.
These RW views are the default settings of bourgeois society, we're immersed in them. I don't think it's required.

[scarletghoul]

I recommend The Huey P Newton Reader. A good selection of the writing of Huey P Newton, leader of the Black Panthers and one of the most influential modern communists, who leftists don't study nearly enough. His writing is original, interesting, very relevent to us, and very readable.

[RHIZOMES]

These RW views are the default settings of bourgeois society, we're immersed in them. I don't think it's required.

^That. This assumption that far left politics is on equal footing with right-wing politics is laughable.

[Velkas]

These great introductory book on anarchism may have been mentioned already:

ABC of Anarchism by Alexander Berkman
The Conquest of Bread by Peter Kropotkin
Anarchy by Errico Malatesta

[M-L123]

I really need to check out some of these works. I have to give props to this forum as a very useful place to research.

[Durruti's Ghost]

These great introductory book on anarchism may have been mentioned already.

The Conquest of Bread by Peter Kropotkin



This. If you can get through all the outdated statistics, The Conquest of Bread is the best introduction to anarchist communism there is.

[pierrotlefou]

Between Existentialism and Marxism by Jean-Paul Sartre.

[ZeroNowhere]

'The German Ideology'.

[TheNewSteez]

this is true:confused:hah

[Jillian]

I hope this isn't a silly question (I'm new here!), but would books for beginners have to be theory and nonfiction to be educational? There are a number of good fiction books that help to illustrate some of the problems of capitalism and why some form of socialism seems to be the best possible alternative. If I had a friend who wanted to learn, but was intimidated or turned off by the thought of wading through a theoretical text, I might start them off with "The Jungle" or something similar.

Although maybe I'm thinking here of someone who's more of a beginner than you are thinking of - I'm thinking of someone who thinks there's something wrong with the way things are now, but isn't quite sure they could figure out how to explain it. Someone who is sure that it's just not right for some people to drive Hummers while others sleep on sidewalks, but couldn't necessarily put a name to what they're thinking.

What do you think?

[wageslave]

And good starting point. Will definatly keep me busy for awhile and looks to me to be a good foundation for future reference when researching other readings and study. Good personal Marxist library! Thanks!;)

[wageslave]

A few that come to mind are Grapes of Wrath (Steinbeck), It can't happen here Upton Sinclair) , The Monkey Wrench Gang (Edward Abby).
And you are right. Everyone I know and myself included didn't jump into Das Kapital first. First came the question "What the fuck is this bullshit??? Is it just me???" and then came novels that 'spoke' to my heart and mind and led me further.
At 15 for me it was "On the Road" and "The Grapes of Wrath". And it doesn't matter what age one is. But again; you're right. What ever we can do to just get people to take steps to the left in their understanding of the world around us and why capitalism is nothing but imperialism; killing our souls and our world. Documentaries are good too. If you have Link TV with your cable/satellite that's a good place to send people.
Good idea and good post my friend!:)


I hope this isn't a silly question (I'm new here!), but would books for beginners have to be theory and nonfiction to be educational? There are a number of good fiction books that help to illustrate some of the problems of capitalism and why some form of socialism seems to be the best possible alternative. If I had a friend who wanted to learn, but was intimidated or turned off by the thought of wading through a theoretical text, I might start them off with "The Jungle" or something similar.

Although maybe I'm thinking here of someone who's more of a beginner than you are thinking of - I'm thinking of someone who thinks there's something wrong with the way things are now, but isn't quite sure they could figure out how to explain it. Someone who is sure that it's just not right for some people to drive Hummers while others sleep on sidewalks, but couldn't necessarily put a name to what they're thinking.

What do you think?

[Socialist Guy]

What about this?
Socialism: A Very Short Introduction

[BobKKKindle$]

What about this?
Socialism: A Very Short Introduction

If that's part of the OUP series, then I've read it, and whilst it's interesting I don't think it's the best book to read if you're looking for an introduction to revolutionary socialism. A good book in that regard would be Paul Foot's 'Why you should be a socialist' (http://www.marxists.org/archive/foot-paul/1977/wysbas/index.htm).

[Red Isa]

Thank you for this post. I have read a few of these, the manifesto I've read about three times. I plan to read the books listed here that I haven't yet. :)

[Red Isa]

I didn't mean to follow what it says, it's just interesting.

[tehpevis]

Try the prince by Machiavelli. Good political narrative :)

I've heard that Machiavelli was a supporter of democracy, but had the perfect guidebook for authoritarian rule in The Prince. Leading a country by Machiavelli's guidelines would result in very, very efficient tyranny.

[Red Isa]

Yes but it's interesting to get into the minds of others. Okay try Animal Farm and 1984 both by George Orwell those are good.

[verlongrimes]

What would be some good books on Stalin and Stalinism? I'm looking for reading some extremely pro-Stalin books, not books written by Trotskyites and other neoconservatives. Thanks. :)

[ZeroNowhere]

What would be some good books on Stalin and Stalinism? I'm looking for reading some extremely pro-Stalin books, not books written by Trotskyites and other neoconservatives. Thanks. :)
'The Marxian Concept of Capital and the Soviet Experience' by Paresh Chattopadhyay.

[LOLseph Stalin]

Another view of Stalin (http://www.plp.org/books/Stalin/book.html)

I still have to read that one myself.

[Rascolnikova]

I've heard that Machiavelli was a supporter of democracy, but had the perfect guidebook for authoritarian rule in The Prince. Leading a country by Machiavelli's guidelines would result in very, very efficient tyranny.

He also wrote about tyranny from a different perspective--try discourses on titus livy.

[RHIZOMES]

I second that endorsement of "The Prince".


"A certain contemporary ruler, whom it is better not to name, never preaches anything except peace and good faith; and he is the enemy of both one and the other, and if he had ever honored either of them he would have lost either his standing or his state many times over" -- Machiavelli

Sound like anyone familiar?

[Zanthorus]

Peter Kropotkin's 'Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution' is pretty good in terms of debunking the oh so cliche human nature arguments.

[Die Rote Fahne]

May I suggest "What is Property?" by Pierre-Joseph Proudhon?

[bailey_187]

What would be some good books on Stalin and Stalinism? I'm looking for reading some extremely pro-Stalin books, not books written by Trotskyites and other neoconservatives. Thanks. :)

Try some books by Harpal Brar, the best probably being his "Trotskyism or Leninism?"

Also, Ian Grey's "Stalin: A man of History" is meant to be good.

You may also want to try Bruce Franklin's "The Essential Stalin" if you wish to read what Stalin actually wrote and believed politically.

[Die Rote Fahne]

What would be some good books on Stalin and Stalinism? I'm looking for reading some extremely pro-Stalin books, not books written by Trotskyites and other neoconservatives. Thanks. :)

Your a tool.

[Fiction]

I heard when you will read a book of Parenti, you have to read Blackshirts and Reds... I want to read an easy book I xD I'm reading now Democracy for a few and that is difficult... wich book shall I read I'm a communist and antifascist.. XD

[Citizen Smith]

Communism is shite. It is finished you bunch of fucking weirdo losers, get a life. Marx was wrong, all of his ideas have been proven to be worse than democracy. Marxism, communism has failed completely wherever it has been impliemented.

Communist ideology requires a total surrender of personal freedom and privacy to the will of the state/class/party/whatever. Please read the previous sentence again. This is NOT an exaggeration. This is what they Marx andEngels wanted, and this is what is totally and completely unacceptable in their ideology.

Oh go on, you red arsed space fairies; ban me. That all you can do to people who look at you has a laughing stock with your country bumpkin backward ideas.
Fucking retards.:laugh:

[Os Cangaceiros]

Communism is shite. It is finished you bunch of fucking weirdo losers, get a life. Marx was wrong, all of his ideas have been proven to be worse than democracy. Marxism, communism has failed completely wherever it has been impliemented.

Communist ideology requires a total surrender of personal freedom and privacy to the will of the state/class/party/whatever. Please read the previous sentence again. This is NOT an exaggeration. This is what they Marx andEngels wanted, and this is what is totally and completely unacceptable in their ideology.

Oh go on, you red arsed space fairies; ban me. That all you can do to people who look at you has a laughing stock with your country bumpkin backward ideas.
Fucking retards.:laugh:

Wow.

You know, I never really thought about it, but communism really is horrible. My beliefs simply cannot take such a devastating deconstruction.

Who would have guessed...:ohmy:

[ZeroNowhere]

Communism is shite. It is finished you bunch of fucking weirdo losers, get a life. Marx was wrong, all of his ideas have been proven to be worse than democracy. Marxism, communism has failed completely wherever it has been impliemented.

Communist ideology requires a total surrender of personal freedom and privacy to the will of the state/class/party/whatever. Please read the previous sentence again. This is NOT an exaggeration. This is what they Marx andEngels wanted, and this is what is totally and completely unacceptable in their ideology.

Oh go on, you red arsed space fairies; ban me. That all you can do to people who look at you has a laughing stock with your country bumpkin backward ideas.
Fucking retards.:laugh:Good to know.

Anyways, 'Marxism and Hegel' is a great book. Rather technical, but also a lovely little counter to the current contents of the 'Philosophy' section of the OP.

[Manifesto]

Communism is shite. It is finished you bunch of fucking weirdo losers, get a life. Marx was wrong, all of his ideas have been proven to be worse than democracy. Marxism, communism has failed completely wherever it has been impliemented.

Communist ideology requires a total surrender of personal freedom and privacy to the will of the state/class/party/whatever. Please read the previous sentence again. This is NOT an exaggeration. This is what they Marx andEngels wanted, and this is what is totally and completely unacceptable in their ideology.

Oh go on, you red arsed space fairies; ban me. That all you can do to people who look at you has a laughing stock with your country bumpkin backward ideas.
Fucking retards.:laugh:
Thank God I pay more attention to Bakunin or else I would be lost in a wallow of self-pity in wasting time of my life on this ideology so thank you Model Citizen Smith.;):rolleyes:

[LeninistKing]

This list is pretty good. Reading these books are a great weapon against the capitalist system

.




I'm sure there has probably been a thread about this in the past, but it's something I have been thinking about. Together as a leftist community I think we should compile a list of texts to recommend to beginners as this is a commonly asked thing. Also, can an admin please sticky this?

The list:

Economics

Wage Labour and Capital - Karl Marx
Value, Price and Profit - Karl Marx
Marx's Capital for Beginners - Smith & Evans
Factories and Workshops- Peter Kropotkin

General

Communist Manifesto- Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels
Socialism: Utopian and Scientific- Friedrich Engels
Principles of Communism - Frederick Engels
ABC of Socialism- Leo Huberman
Marx for Beginners - Rius
Mao's Red Book- Mao Zedong
ABC of Anarchism- Alexander Berkman

History

The Civil War in France - Karl Marx
Critique of the Gotha Programme - Karl Marx
Ten Days that Shook the World - John Reed
The Che Guevara Reader - Ernesto 'Che' Guevara
The Revolution Betrayed - Leon Trotsky
The Russian Revolution- Rosa Luxemburg

The State/Revolution

The State and Revolution - Vladimir Lenin
Marxism, Freedom, and the State - Mikhail Bakunin
God and the State - Mikhail Bakunin
Nationalism and Cultural- Rudolf Rocker
Socialism and War- Vladimir Lenin
Reform or Revolution- Rosa Luxemburg

Philosophy

On Contradiction- Mao Zedong
On the Significance of Militant Materialism-Lenin

[Followthewhiterabbit]

OK, I've compiled this list into links also, any that are wrong/missing or become broken can you please inform me or link youself, thanks.

The list:

Economics

Wage Labour and Capital - Karl Marx (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/wage-labour/index.htm)
Value, Price and Profit - Karl Marx (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1865/value-price-profit/index.htm)
Marx's Capital for Beginners - Smith & Evans
Factories and Workshops- Peter Kropotkin

General

Communist Manifesto- Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/index.htm)
Socialism: Utopian and Scientific- Friedrich Engels (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1880/soc-utop/index.htm)
Principles of Communism - Frederick Engels (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/11/prin-com.htm)
ABC of Socialism- Leo Huberman (http://www.skeptically.org/socialism/id6.html)
Marx for Beginners - Rius
Mao's Red Book- Mao Zedong
ABC of Anarchism- Alexander Berkman (http://www.lucyparsonsproject.org/anarchism/berkman_abc_of_anarchism.html)

History

The Civil War in France - Karl Marx (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1871/civil-war-france/index.htm)
Critique of the Gotha Programme - Karl Marx (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1875/gotha/index.htm)
Ten Days that Shook the World - John Reed (http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/3076/pg3076.html)
The Che Guevara Reader - Ernesto 'Che' Guevara
The Revolution Betrayed - Leon Trotsky (http://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1936/revbet/index.htm)
The Russian Revolution- Rosa Luxemburg (http://www.marxists.org/archive/luxemburg/1918/russian-revolution/index.htm)

The State/Revolution

The State and Revolution - Vladimir Lenin (http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1917/staterev/)
Marxism, Freedom, and the State - Mikhail Bakunin (http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/bakunin/works/mf-state/index.htm)
God and the State - Mikhail Bakunin (http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/bakunin/works/godstate/index.htm)
Nationalism and Cultural- Rudolf Rocker (http://www.anarchosyndicalism.net/rocker/nc.htm)
Socialism and War- Vladimir Lenin (http://www.marx2mao.com/Lenin/SW15.html)
Reform or Revolution- Rosa Luxemburg (http://www.marxists.org/archive/luxemburg/1900/reform-revolution/index.htm)

Philosophy

On Contradiction- Mao Zedong
On the Significance of Militant Materialism-Lenin (http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1922/mar/12.htm)

[Drace]

What would be some good books on Stalin and Stalinism? I'm looking for reading some extremely pro-Stalin books, not books written by Trotskyites and other neoconservatives. Thanks.

Another View of Stalin by Ludo Martens (http://www.plp.org/books/Stalin/book.html)

[ROBOTROT]

Easily the clearest, most readable and most comprehensive introduction to revolutionary socialism I have read is The Meaning of Marxism by Paul D'Amato. Texts like State and Revolution, Das Kapital or Gramsci's Prison Notebooks, etc. are great of course, but as they are unlikely to hold the attention of anyone who isn't fully committed to reading them, I think they are generally poor choices for beginners.

[ralyks45]

this is ridiculous. this is supposed to be a reading list for BEGINNERS. there's like 500 books on here. make a list of 5-10 books to help people get started. :blink: