Starting a Marxist book club, need help

[Eniac]

Ok, so I have gathered a few people who sympathize with the leftist ideas, but have never actually explored it. We have decided to start a Marxist book circle, where we would meet like once a week and discuss Marx and his literary works.
We have agreed to start with the manifesto but my question is where do we go then. There has to be something between Manifesto and Capital (which is kind of our destination).

[Comrade Jacob]

The origins of Family, Private-property and the State - Engels
Socialism: Utopian and Scientific - Engels
The little red book - Mao Tse-Tung
Wage Labour and Capital -Marx

Just a few.

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

The origins of Family, Private-property and the State - Engels
Socialism: Utopian and Scientific - Engels
The little red book - Mao Tse-Tung
Wage Labour and Capital -Marx

Just a few.

In terms of a beginner's reading group, I'd say that the last one is your best bet, because it's short, and a good introduction to Marx's economics.

For kicks, I think it would be a fun thing to watch and discuss Et la guerre est à peine commencée . . . (http://vimeo.com/54313688) (don't worry - it has English subtitles). It's a twenty minute piece in the French post-Situationist tradition that could be a fun break from reading the "heavy" classics.

[argeiphontes]

To get people involved on a more emotional level and dispell some myths, I'd suggest "Marx's Concept of Man" by Erich Fromm. (He was a psychoanalyst and Marxist.) It's available for free, too, on http://www.marxists.org/archive/fromm/works/1961/man/index.htm

There's also Terry Eagleton's "Why Marx Was Right" that addresses criticisms of Marx, but it's a recent book so you'll have to pay the man. edit: I'm reading it right now but since I'm since I'm familiar with the arguments in general it's getting boring...

YMMV don't know how hard-core your group is.

edit2: If you want to watch videos, there are videos of Marxist economist Richard Wolff on YouTube, including an interview with Bill Moyers. It can help tie things in to current events, maybe.

[d3crypt]

Some good books:
Workers Councils by Anton Pannekoek http://www.marxists.org/archive/pannekoe/1947/workers-councils.htm
Reform or Revolution by Rosa Luxemburg http://www.marxists.org/archive/luxemburg/1900/reform-revolution/
The Russian Revolution and Leninism or Marxism by Rosa Luxemburg http://www.marxists.org/archive/luxemburg/1904/questions-rsd/ http://www.marxists.org/archive/luxemburg/1918/russian-revolution/
Conquest of the Bread by Peter Kropotokin http://libcom.org/library/the-conquest-of-bread-peter-kropotkin
Anarchism and Other Essays by Emma Goldman http://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/emma-goldman-anarchism-and-other-essays
State and Revolution by Vladimir Lenin http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1917/staterev/

[Flying Purple People Eater]

Capital, Volumes I and II.

I honestly don't think there is any 'bridge' between the Manifesto and Capital, as they are two completely different works.

The manifesto is basically a giant book of propaganda, whereas Capital forms the basis of Marx's criticism of Capitalism. It'd probably just make any runthrough of a 'bridge' between the two to be some weird, brief and ideologically biased summary of Marxian economic viewpoints.

Just my two cents.

Maybe debates between sections of the communist movement would be good reading? E.g. :

Left-wing Communism: an Infantile disorder (http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1920/lwc/) - Vladimir Lenin.

Open letter to comrade Lenin concerning his stance on left communism (http://libcom.org/library/open-letter-to-comrade-lenin-gorter) - Hermann Gorter.

The Civil War in France (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1871/civil-war-france/ch05.htm) - Karl Marx.

The Bakuninists at Work: an account of the Spanish revolt in the summer of 1873 (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1873/bakunin/) - Karl Marx.

Socialism, Utopian and Scientific (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1880/soc-utop/index.htm) - Karl Marx.

Evolutionary Socialism (http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/bernstein/works/1899/evsoc/index.htm) -Eduard Bernstein.

[d3crypt]

Is Mao worth reading? I despise marxism-leninism and Maoism, but he seems interesting.

[Lenin1986]

State and revolution by Lenin
Reform or revolution by Rosa Luxemburg
Socialism and man in Cuba by Che Guevara
The Revolution Betrayed by Leon Trotsky
Socialism: Utopian and Scientific by Engels
Value, Price and Profit by Marx

[TheGodlessUtopian]

Is Mao worth reading? I despise marxism-leninism and Maoism, but he seems interesting.

I think when you start bumping into authors where you start to question if you should include them or not you should take a moment to decide what orientation your group is gonna have: is it more to the communist left or right; dogmatic or regroupment; Leninist or non-Leninist? These kind of questions so that you can structure a basic outline for the texts you will read and discuss. This way there is less confusion on theory and more homogeneity on the group's penultimate destination

[d3crypt]

I think when you start bumping into authors where you start to question if you should include them or not you should take a moment to decide what orientation your group is gonna have: is it more to the communist left or right; dogmatic or regroupment; Leninist or non-Leninist? These kind of questions so that you can structure a basic outline for the texts you will read and discuss. This way there is less confusion on theory and more homogeneity on the group's penultimate destination

For the high school group i'm making it will basically be a united front type thing for marxists and anarchists. I was thinking communist left and non leninist, but reading Lenin and Trotsky seems ok with me.

[motion denied]

If it is a marxist group, read Marx.

Leave the leninist/non-leninist problems aside. The focus are Marx and Engels, anything beyond that is too much for now.

[argeiphontes]

...a few people who sympathize with the leftist ideas...a Marxist book circle

I wouldn't beat them over the head with anything--think of a class syllabus, you'll want some of the original works, some criticism/response, and some more contemporary views. You might even want to decide on your reading list collectively :-D depending on where people are I suppose...

Good luck.

[Eniac]

Alright, these are very helpful, I came up with a few after manifesto - some of Marx's and Engels's articles, paris manuscripts of 1844. and basically follow the development of Marx's thought and historical materialism. Mostly we intend to read Marx and Engels, and then dive into economy of that that is into capital.
definetly socialism scientific and utopian, and lenin and Rosa L. will be somewhere in between.

I have to say that this was very helpful and keep them coming.

[The Idler]

The origins of Family, Private-property and the State - Engels
Socialism: Utopian and Scientific - Engels
The little red book - Mao Tse-Tung
Wage Labour and Capital -Marx

Just a few.
Engels is good so seconded these except for the Mao book.

[Comrade Jacob]

Engels is good so seconded these except for the Mao book.

Mao had great contributions, sure maybe it's not for starters but it should be considered for later.

[Zanthorus]

Mao had great contributions

Yeah, what would happen to the level of argumentation on Revleft without the numerous contributions offered by Mao's exposition of liberalism?

Here are my recommendations:

1844 Manuscripts
Value, Price and Profit
The Poverty of Philosophy
Critique of the Gotha Program
The 18th Brumaire of Louis-Napoleon
The Civil War in France

[MarxSchmarx]

I don't know if there is a translation in the language of your group, but RIUS's comic "Marx for Beginners" tends to get high marks from people who are, or working with, well, beginners. Although i'd definitely second wage labor and capital.