Introduction to books that will point me in the right direction?

[Viva Revolution!]

I'm new to Communism, only 17 years old, so i obviously don't have a lot of deep knowledge on the subject, however I am more than keen to begin learning.
If anyone could reccomend any books that will point me in the right direction, that would be most appreciated. I'm looking for anything that will change the way i think, and has had an influence on the world, be it because of religion (although I'm not religious), race struggles, political, gender or social struggles.
The list i have complied so far is:
Th feminine mystique - Betty Friedan
The second sex - simone de beauvoir
Malcolm X - an autobiography
Martin Luther King - An autobiography
A long walk to freedom- Nelson Mandela
Autobiography - Ghandi
I know why the caged bird sings - Maya Angelou
The motorcycle diaries - Che Guevara
Guerilla Warfare- Che Guevara
The Communist Manifesto
Philosophy:The basics - Nigel Warburton
The world as i see it - Einstein

Can anybody recommend anything else? As you can see i haven't got very many books, especially on 'left' politics :( any good books about lenin? arachism? castro? communism? etc etc.

[Rjevan]

First of all, hi and welcome to the forum! :)

Well, recommendations really depend on what you're looking for. Recommending and especially reading "anything that will change the way i think and has had an influence on the world" is hardly possible apart from the fact that some works had a profoundly negative influence on the world. Do you have any particular fields of interest, like philosophy or maybe feminism?

Generally, you already posted in the "Book on Feminism" thread, so I guess you read it but you could check the usergroups, many of them have a reading list. The stickies in Learning should also help and then there's of course the Marxists Internet Archive (MIA): http://www.marxists.org

[Тачанка]

Get "ABC of communism" by Bukharin. Very easy read, covering lots of topics. It almost got destroyed during a terrorist attack on the moscow comittee(along with its authors)

I love that book! <3

[graymouser]

I would say to start with these four key works:

The Communist Manifesto (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/index.htm) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
Socialism: Utopian and Scientific (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1880/soc-utop/index.htm) by Friedrich Engels
The State and Revolution (http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1917/staterev/index.htm) by V.I. Lenin
The Transitional Program (http://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1938/tp/index.htm) by Leon Trotsky

After that, there are dozens of ways to branch out. But I think the best way to understand Marxism is to study the Marxist classics.

[Cork Socialist]

I would say to start with these four key works:

The Communist Manifesto (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/index.htm) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
Socialism: Utopian and Scientific (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1880/soc-utop/index.htm) by Friedrich Engels
The State and Revolution (http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1917/staterev/index.htm) by V.I. Lenin
The Transitional Program (http://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1938/tp/index.htm) by Leon Trotsky

After that, there are dozens of ways to branch out. But I think the best way to understand Marxism is to study the Marxist classics.
Was just about to recommend the same books as the Comrade above, Would definitely try to read those.

[Cork Socialist]

Get "ABC of communism" by Bukharin. Very easy read, covering lots of topics. It almost got destroyed during a terrorist attack on the moscow comittee(along with its authors)

I love that book! <3
I haven't actually read that and was wondering is it worth my time reading ?

[Тачанка]

I haven't actually read that and was wondering is it worth my time reading ?

Definatly. It's so easy to read, it's like... drinking water instead of eating stone. (Comparing it with Kapital, lulz)

It starts off with easy theoretical basics, and later is about what has been achieved during the first two years of the revolution, comparing it with earlier times, problems... etc. It has sections about education, religion, safety at the workplace, money, organisation of agriculture, homelessness! Damn! Get it, just for the sake of later giving it to someone willing to learn. There are so few mistakes (things that could lead to misconceptions about the theory, in fact I only found like 2-3, on ~400 pages) that I'd recommend it any time :thumbup1:

[nuisance]

An analysis of the institutions that dominant our daily lives.

http://theanarchistlibrary.org/HTML/Wolfi_Landstreicher__The_Network_of_Domination.htm l

About deciding where you stand and realising yourself as your own revolutionary subject.

http://theanarchistlibrary.org//HTML/Anonymous__At_Daggers_Drawn_with_the_Existent__its _Defenders_and_its_False_Critics.html

Intervening in struggles.

http://theanarchistlibrary.org//HTML/Anonymous__Autonomous_Self-Organization_and_Anarchist_Intervention__A_Tension _in_Practice.htm (http://theanarchistlibrary.org//HTML/Anonymous__Autonomous_Self-Organization_and_Anarchist_Intervention__A_Tension _in_Practice.htmlhttp://pugetsoundanarchists.org/system/files/pnwcompilation_read.pdf)

Experimenation and reflection on attempts to put autonomous revolutionary intervention into practice and an analysis of the police.

lhttp://pugetsoundanarchists.org/system/files/pnwcompilation_read.pdf (http://theanarchistlibrary.org//HTML/Anonymous__Autonomous_Self-Organization_and_Anarchist_Intervention__A_Tension _in_Practice.htmlhttp://pugetsoundanarchists.org/system/files/pnwcompilation_read.pdf)

[Zav]

Most of these posts recommend Marxist-Leninist works, which is fine, but don't forget to read works by Emma Goldman, Mikhail Bakunin, Peter Kropotkin, etc. Also, research the labour movement, Anarchist Catalonia, and people like Nestor Makhno, Camilo Cienfuegos, and Kim Jwa-Jin.

[Тачанка]

Most of these posts recommend Marxist-Leninist works,

I see not a single piece of paper(rather, shit) written by Stalin, Furr, or any other of the epigones' works in here. Nor of the baby Stalins (Hoxha, Mao)

[Zav]

I see not a single piece of paper(rather, shit) written by Stalin, Furr, or any other of the epigones' works in here. Nor of the baby Stalins (Hoxha, Mao)
I meant to refer to Authoritarian Communism. Works by Marx, Lenin, Engles, and Trotsky were mentioned.

[Zanthorus]

The State and Revolution (http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1917/staterev/index.htm) by V.I. Lenin
The Transitional Program (http://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1938/tp/index.htm) by Leon Trotsky

Although these are of course important reading material, it is highly contentious as to whether they constitute 'Marxist classics' (Particularly the last one, which unlike Lenin's TSaR does not even claim to be an exposition of the works of Marx and Engels), and the OP should probably keep this in mind when reading them (Especially in the case of Lenin's interpretation which is very much debatable on certain points).

Anyway I would reccomend any of Marx's historical works as easy ways in to the workings of his and Engels' mind. In particular:

The Class Struggles in France 1848-50
The 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte
The Civil War in France

Which should probably be looked upon as a trilogy given that they cover successive periods in the history of France.

[The Idler]

If you want secondary sources which tend to be more modern;

The Basics
Oxford University Press
Anarchism: A Very Short Introduction by Colin Ward
Communism: A Very Short Introduction by Leslie Holmes
Socialism: A Very Short Introduction by Michael Newman
Marx: A Very Short Introduction by Peter Singer
Engels: A Very Short Introduction by Terrell Harver

Icon Books/Pantheon/Totem
Introducing Marx by Rius
Introducing Marxism by Rupert Woodfin and Oscar Zarate

New in the last couple of years
The Enigma of Capital by David Harvey
Hopes and Prospects by Noam Chomsky
The Verso Book of Dissent edited by Tariq Ali

[graymouser]

Although these are of course important reading material, it is highly contentious as to whether they constitute 'Marxist classics' (Particularly the last one, which unlike Lenin's TSaR does not even claim to be an exposition of the works of Marx and Engels), and the OP should probably keep this in mind when reading them (Especially in the case of Lenin's interpretation which is very much debatable on certain points).
Meh, I'm a Trot and I calls 'em as I sees 'em. The Transitional Program is the easiest way to get at Trotskyist politics, which I would call the continuation of Marxism as such. You're free to disagree. I recommend the comrade to read and decide for her/himself.


Anyway I would reccomend any of Marx's historical works as easy ways in to the workings of his and Engels' mind. In particular:

The Class Struggles in France 1848-50
The 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte
The Civil War in France

Which should probably be looked upon as a trilogy given that they cover successive periods in the history of France.
Those are all excellent books. I would say the Eighteenth Brumaire is the gold standard in materialist writing of history. The only books that really come close are Trotsky's History of the Russian Revolution and C.L.R. James's The Black Jacobins.

While we're picking further books, I think The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State is deeply important for understanding questions of special oppression as well as the history of class society as a whole.

[Coyote]

I recommend picking up a copy of "The Marx-Engels Reader". It's a sizable compilation of their more known writings. It's come in handy on many occasions. I also recommend some of Lenin's works such as "Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism", "Left Wing Communism", and "The State and Revolution". I've read some of the books you've mentioned on your list. "The Motorcycle Diaries" was a pretty good read.

[RedSunRising]

The Foundations of Leninism by Joseph Stalin is the best introduction to Marxist thought, it is extremely well written and he is brilliant at explaining otherwise complex matters simply.

http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/works/1924/foundations-leninism/index.htm

[Old Mole]

When it comes to understanding Marxism I highly suggest focusing on the works written by Marx himself. I consider the manifesto and Poverty of Philosophy to be the most easy reads when it comes to the works of Marx. Many young communists have fallen in the trap of reading stuff by later "Marxists" and then thought that they presented the actual positions of Marx himself, which nearly always isnt the case. On the subject of anarchism The Conquest of Bread by Peter Kropotkin is pretty good. The same with Marx goes with Lenin, for example, begin with reading State and Revolution and What is to be done?

[Franz Fanonipants]

Introducing Marx by Rius

I honestly can't recommend Rius' work enough.

[hatzel]

So it seems everybody's suggesting theoretical Marxists texts and the like, even though it's quite clear from the examples given that the OP isn't actually just asking for what are good introductory leftist texts, but a much broader selection. Tell us, Viva: what topic areas really interest you?

[Die Rote Fahne]

I'm new to Communism, only 17 years old, so i obviously don't have a lot of deep knowledge on the subject, however I am more than keen to begin learning.
If anyone could reccomend any books that will point me in the right direction, that would be most appreciated. I'm looking for anything that will change the way i think, and has had an influence on the world, be it because of religion (although I'm not religious), race struggles, political, gender or social struggles.
The list i have complied so far is:
Th feminine mystique - Betty Friedan
The second sex - simone de beauvoir
Malcolm X - an autobiography
Martin Luther King - An autobiography
A long walk to freedom- Nelson Mandela
Autobiography - Ghandi
I know why the caged bird sings - Maya Angelou
The motorcycle diaries - Che Guevara
Guerilla Warfare- Che Guevara
The Communist Manifesto
Philosophy:The basics - Nigel Warburton
The world as i see it - Einstein

Can anybody recommend anything else? As you can see i haven't got very many books, especially on 'left' politics :( any good books about lenin? arachism? castro? communism? etc etc.

www.marxists.org

Alllll the literature you need.

Start with Marx and Engels. Then try some Lenin, Luxemburg, Trotsky, Kropotkin, etc.

[Tim Finnegan]

Workers Councils (http://marxists.org/archive/pannekoe/1947/workers-councils.htm) by Anton Pannekoek. Deals mostly in basic principles and strategies, not heavy on the theory, and provides an alternative Marxism to Lenin and his various ideological descendants.

[Franz Fanonipants]

Really, really, really get your hands on the Rius book.

Then get a basic Marx and Engels reader, you can probably find one cheap at a used book store.

Maybe read some "History of Sexuality" so you don't end up a leftcom degenerate.

[hatzel]

If we're just going to keep throwing out basic theory books, rather than suggesting stuff written from a Marxist / anarchist perspective or whatever...they (I think 'they' are AK Press, but I'm not sure) put out a Proudhon reader a couple of months back which is worth the read :)

[black magick hustla]

Really, really, really get your hands on the Rius book.

Then get a basic Marx and Engels reader, you can probably find one cheap at a used book store.

Maybe read some "History of Sexuality" so you don't end up a leftcom degenerate.

we have more fun than "christian leftists"

anyway, if you dont want to navigate through nineteenth century dead white man shit try

Eclipse and Reemergence of the Communist Movement by Dauve, which is a very good introduction written in the height of the class fights of the 70s, you can find it in libcom, and its short. It was the starting point of our reading group, which had many people who were new to communist thought.

[Franz Fanonipants]

we have more fun than "christian leftists"

idk if you know how much fun i have bro.

[black magick hustla]

idk if you know how much fun i have bro.

i can imagine when reading your posts on sexual liberation

[Franz Fanonipants]

i can imagine when reading your posts on sexual liberation

lol sexual liberation a vital part of the revolutionary programme

people are starving to death but we can have orgies we are fully free from yr bourgeois morality

[hatzel]

lol sexual liberation a vital part of the revolutionary programme

people are starving to death but we can have orgies we are fully free from yr bourgeois morality

Pfft, you ain't even a hipster commie...:rolleyes:

[Franz Fanonipants]

Pfft, you ain't even a hipster commie...:rolleyes:

sez you bro i have a fixed gear bicycle

e: and a massive blow habit but i'm so prole i can't even

[Rooster]

So it seems everybody's suggesting theoretical Marxists texts and the like, even though it's quite clear from the examples given that the OP isn't actually just asking for what are good introductory leftist texts, but a much broader selection. Tell us, Viva: what topic areas really interest you?

So... Lenin's Materialism and Empirio-Criticism?

In all seriousness though, you can't go wrong with The Making of the English Working Class (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Making_of_the_English_Working_Class) by E.P. Thompson if you can get your hands on a copy.

[Tim Finnegan]

(In addition to my last suggestion) Seeing that you're British, you might want to give The Meaning of David Cameron by Richard Seymour a look. Provides a pretty solid introduction to the contemporary British political environment from a Marxist perspective, and I'd recommend keeping up with his blog (http://leninology.blogspot.com/) as well.


people are starving to death but we can have orgies we are fully free from yr bourgeois morality
How would not having orgies help feed the poor? :confused:

[Franz Fanonipants]

(In addition to my last suggestion) Seeing that you're British, you might want to give The Meaning of David Cameron by Richard Seymour a look. Provides a pretty solid introduction to the contemporary British political environment from a Marxist perspective, and I'd recommend keeping up with his blog (http://leninology.blogspot.com/) as well.

Do you know if I could get my hands on this Stateside?

[Tim Finnegan]

Do you know if I could get my hands on this Stateside?
Well, you can get it off Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Meaning-David-Cameron-Richard-Seymour/dp/1846944562/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1307058537&sr=8-1) or direct from Zero Books (http://www.zero-books.net/book/detail/1107/Meaning-of-David-Cameron-The). It's a bit pricey for a short book- just over one hundred pages- but it's solid stuff, and I suppose that's just the price you have to pay to keep small-print stuff like this going.

[hatzel]

How would not having orgies help feed the poor? :confused:

Presumably the poor could feast on all the honey and whipped cream wasted by being smeared on young naked orgy-having bourgeois bodies or something like that...:confused:

Now let's get back on topic, after that interlude!

[Franz Fanonipants]

How would not having orgies help feed the poor? :confused:
sex power = agricultural power bro

[RedSunRising]

Maybe read some "History of Sexuality" so you don't end up a leftcom degenerate.

Wasnt that written by Foucault who could easily be called a bit of a degenerate?

[Tim Finnegan]

sex power = agricultural power bro
What? What the hell are "sex power" and "agricultural power"? :confused: Are you suggesting that the time people spend screwing should instead be employed acting as farm labourers?

Edit: Never mind, I'm not really that interested, and we don't need to de-rail this thread this early on.

[hatzel]

What? What the hell are "sex power" and "agricultural power"? :confused: Are you suggesting that the time people spend screwing should instead be employed acting as farm labourers?

Everybody knows that the reason we were given the night was so that we have time to get down and dirty, when there is insufficient light to work the land...but as this isn't the religion forum, I won't continue discussing rabbinical teachings :p

[black magick hustla]

lol sexual liberation a vital part of the revolutionary programme

people are starving to death but we can have orgies we are fully free from yr bourgeois morality

people are starving to death, dying in wars, dying in the workplace, and dying with repressed psyches and libidos. ill have kollontai over jesus thank you very much

[RedSunRising]

Wasnt that written by Foucault who could easily be called a bit of a degenerate?

Dump!

[hatzel]

What's a 'degenerate'?

[black magick hustla]

someone who does not ascribe to the clerical socialism of stalinist dinosaurs

[hatzel]

someone who does not ascribe to the clerical socialism of stalinist dinosaurs

And Foucault's one of these? Sounds enthralling! :)

(...but doesn't sound particularly on-topic...)

[Viva Revolution!]

So it seems everybody's suggesting theoretical Marxists texts and the like, even though it's quite clear from the examples given that the OP isn't actually just asking for what are good introductory leftist texts, but a much broader selection. Tell us, Viva: what topic areas really interest you?

As per my title, revolution and change really interest me. People who are ahead of their time and can foresee change, especially a change towards equality. But I would certainly read books to open my knowledge on the opposing ideology and how their mind works. Like I mentioned it just doesn't have to be with Politics, I'm deeply interested in history and it's events, Marxism, Feminism, The race movements, revolutions, struggles for equality or rights, philosophy etc.

[Franz Fanonipants]

And Foucault's one of these? Sounds enthralling! :)

(...but doesn't sound particularly on-topic...)

Foucault makes it pretty clear that anyone eternally *****ing about sexual liberation is basically living in a fantasy world.

I wouldn't call Foucault a degenerate, just cus a dude is gay and likes rough sex w/e.

But basically he obliterates any notion of "sexual liberation" being liberatory.

[Franz Fanonipants]

As per my title, revolution and change really interest me. People who are ahead of their time and can foresee change, especially a change towards equality. But I would certainly read books to open my knowledge on the opposing ideology and how their mind works. Like I mentioned it just doesn't have to be with Politics, I'm deeply interested in history and it's events, Marxism, Feminism, The race movements, revolutions, struggles for equality or rights, philosophy etc.

Soul on Ice is worth a read.

If you want to get into interesting thought on race and gender identity in the Mexican-American borderlands (far ashore, I know) but it wouldn't hurt to check out Gloria Anzaldua's work Borderlands/La Frontera: the New Mestiza.

[hatzel]

I wouldn't call Foucault a degenerate, just cus a dude is gay and likes rough sex w/e.

This is literally one of the most surreal sentences I think I've ever seen in the learning forum, but I have no idea why :laugh: But, to get back on topic...OP, if this Foucault guy is sounding at all appealing to you, feel free to read his stuff! :tt2:

[Franz Fanonipants]

people are starving to death, dying in wars, dying in the workplace, and dying with repressed psyches and libidos. ill have kollontai over jesus thank you very much

lol

"Repressed psyches and libidos"

that's fucking funny bro. as a second act do you enshrine Truth Justice and the American Way or just talk about people's right to the pursuit of property.

this just in: leftcoms are unmarxist.

[NoOneIsIllegal]

"Anarcho Syndicalism: Theory and Practice" - Rudolf Rocker
"The Conquest of Bread" - Peter Kropotkin
"At the Cafe" - Errico Malatesta
"ABC of Anarchism" - Alexander Berkman

You'll be a beautiful anarchist in no time :D

As far as Marxist literature:

"A People's History of the World" - Chris Williams
Reading the other books other posters recommended are good but they can get tiresome, so a bit of history is always enjoyable. It's written from a Marxist/Trotskyist perspective. Williams has written other good books, so if you like this, go ahead and check out his other work! (See: "The Lost Revolution")

[black magick hustla]

that's fucking funny bro. as a second act do you enshrine Truth Justice and the American Way or just talk about people's right to the pursuit of property.


not really, i am a marxist and like marx i subscribe to the concept of species being. reading to much pomo shit bro for being a "christian leftist"

[The Idler]

Isn't People's History of the World, Chris Harman?