Help with making a reading list please.

[Schumpeter]

Hello, I'm posting this thread of a variety of political forums, ranging from objectivist online to rev left. I want to broaden my knowledge and thus would like you to recommend me three books to read on issues such as politics, philosophy and economics. Thank you.

[Sinister Intents]

Hello, I'm posting this thread of a variety of political forums, ranging from objectivist online to rev left. I want to broaden my knowledge and thus would like you to recommend me three books to read on issues such as politics, philosophy and economics. Thank you.

I would definitely go to marxists.org
For Marx: http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/
Start with the Communist Manifesto (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/download/pdf/Manifesto.pdf) if you'd like, you could also start the first volume of Capital (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/download/pdf/Capital-Volume-I.pdf), both of these are PDFs
Bakunin: http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/bakunin/
God and the State (http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/bakunin/works/godstate/index.htm)
Marxism, Freedom, and the State (http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/bakunin/works/mf-state/index.htm)

[DecimusBruta]

Engel's - Socialism: Utopian & Scientific is a great short-ish book to start with. If you're new and truly want to learn, I would recommend starting with this.

Lenin's - State & Revolution is also short, but is still quite dense. I don't particularly ascribe to everything Lenin wrote, but I still like this piece.

Lastly, Contending Economic Theories is a great work that outlines and compares the major economic theories including: Marxism, Keynesian, and Neo-Classical.

[The Idler]

From
http://www.marxists.org/subject/economy/postmarx.htm

Finance Capital (http://www.marxists.org/archive/hilferding/1910/finkap/index.htm)

The Socialist Economics of Karl Marx and His Followers, (http://www.marxists.org/subject/economy/authors/veblen/soc-econ.htm)

The Accumulation of Capital (http://www.marxists.org/archive/luxemburg/1913/accumulation-capital/index.htm)

Essays On Marx's Theory of Value (http://www.marxists.org/archive/rubin/value/index.htm)

and also

http://www.marxists.org/subject/philosophy/index.htm

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

1.
Silvia Federici's Caliban and The Witch: Women, The Body and Primitive Accumulation
(http://libcom.org/library/caliban-witch-silvia-federici)
Why?
Federici's work offers the best historical overview and Marxist-feminist analysis of the emergence of capitalism, specifically its relationship to colonialism and patriarchy of any book I have ever read. It also does a fantastic job of locating unpaid, non-wage labour in relationship to capitalism - an oversight in much of the dismal science.

2.
J. Sakai's Settlers: The Mythology of the White Proletariat (pdf) (http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CC4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indybay.org%2Fuploads%2F2005% 2F10%2F28%2Fsakaisettlersocr.pdf&ei=6ti5UtjdMuWg2AW674CYBw&usg=AFQjCNGp5nztocikFztfmsMb_TsqDcbRZA&sig2=fcjDhWc5VRr4m_MwGM4nxw&bvm=bv.58187178,d.b2I&cad=rja)

Why?
Settlers is an absolutely seminal work on white supremacy in North America, and the relationship of the settler (white) left to the racialized working class. It traces the development all the way from Plymouth Rock through the 1970s. It was promoted by everyone from Love and Rage Revolutionary Anarchist Federation to Maoist groups. It radically looks to understand "race" as "class in drag", and understand the behaviour of the white left in this context.

3.
The Invisible Committee's The Coming Insurrection (http://tarnac9.wordpress.com/texts/the-coming-insurrection/)

Why?
The Coming Insurrection is a refreshingly short and punchy Hipster-Communist Manifesto for the 21st Century. It's not brilliant, and I'm not going to offer a political defense of it, but I will say that it's wildly entertaining despite of its shortcomings.

[tachankawrangler]

For anarchism/anarcho-communism, the simply named "Anarchist FAQ," written chiefly by Iain McKay of AK Press, is a comprehensive and in-depth guide to the ideology. Much of the first volume (there are two, I bought the first one for $15) is devoted to criticizing so-called "anarcho-capitalists," and rebutting claims that they draw from anarchist principles.

theanarchistlibrary.org has thousands of essays from various anarchist authors and political figures and is a great free reference site.

[Brutus]

Critique of the Gotha Programme is short and provides a good description of communism.

[human strike]

Off the top of my head and avoiding texts and authors already mentioned:

Gilles Dauvé, Capitalism and Communism (http://libcom.org/library/capitalism-communism-gilles-dauve)
Raoul Vaneigem, The Revolution of Everyday Life (http://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/raoul-vaneigem-the-revolution-of-everyday-life)
bell hooks, Feminism is for Everybody (http://excoradfeminisms.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/bell_hooks-feminism_is_for_everybody.pdf)

[Yuppie Grinder]

Three Classics of Marxism that serve as good introductions:
Critique of the Gotha Programme by Marx.
State and Revolution by Lenin (you need to know about and understand Lenin to have a comprehensive understanding of Marxism's history).
Marxism or Leninism by Luxemburg.

[Comrade #138672]

Start here: What is Marxism? (http://marxists.org/subject/students/index.htm)

Historical Materialism (http://marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1880/soc-utop/ch03.htm)
Idealism and Materialism (http://marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1845/german-ideology/ch01a.htm)
Value, Price and Profit (http://marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1865/value-price-profit/index.htm)

[Turinbaar]

For politics I would recommend some books which you can get for relatively cheap online. The memoirs of Jessica Mitford, "Hons and Rebels" and "A Fine Old Conflict."

Mitford came from an English aristocratic family and her sisters, Diana and Unity became personal friends of Adolf Hitler. In rebellion, Jessica ran off with Churchill's socialist nephew, Esmond Romilly to report on the war in Spain, and later moved to the US to join the communist party.

For Philosophy, Marx's 1844 manuscripts, his Doctoral Dissertation of Epicurean
Atomism, and related documents such as De Rerum Natura by Lucretius.

http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1844/manuscripts/preface.htm
http://marxists.anu.edu.au/archive/marx/works/1841/dr-theses/index.htm
https://ia700309.us.archive.org/20/items/dererumnatura00lucr/dererumnatura00lucr.pdf

For Economics, the broad theory can be found in Das Kapital, the Accumulation of Capital, and the Development of Capitalism in Russia, but for areas of special investigation, Jessica Mitford is also a good read. Her books, "Kind and Usual Punishment" and "The American Way of Death" on the prison and funeral industries are quite enlightening.

[Lenina Rosenweg]

The classics (some of these repeats what others have said)

The Communist Manifesto Marx/Engels

Wage, Labor and Capital Marx covers the basic economics of Marx.

Origin of The Family, Private Property and the State Engels A must read, IMO

State and Revolution Lenin Another must read

Imperialism, The Highest Stage of Capital

These are the basic classics. Also important

Socialism, Utopian and Scientific Engels

18th Brumaire of Louis Napoleon and the Civil War in France Marx

History of the Russian Revolution Trotsky

The Revolution Betrayed Trotsky

Reform and Revolution Rosa Luxemburg

The Mass Strike Rosa Luxemburg


Beyond the Marxist classics there is a lot of good stuff worth reading.

Strike! Jeremy Breecher..a history of the US labor movement from an anarcho-syndicalist perspective. He leaves out important stuff but its still a great work

Unbending Cross classic biography of Eugene Debs

The German Revolution Pierre Broue One of the best history books I've ever read.

Issac Deutscher's Prophet series..biography of Trotsky. Controversial among Trotskyists but a great read

Europe and the People Without History Eric Wolf amazing book

[Sea]

Imperialism, The Highest Stage of CapitalSection II of Part I of Imperialism and the Revolution is a good complement to this, using 1970's statistics to show that the points in Lenin's work are still valid, and making it more accessible to those who are unfamiliar with the economic conditions of the early 20th century.

I know some of the more sectarian people here will hate that, so before starting a shitstorm make sure that you've read the text in question and that you're criticizing the content and not the author or the rhetoric. You know who you are.

[Brotto Rühle]

Marxism and Freedom by Raya Dunayevskaya

State Capitalism and World Revolution by CLR James

Karl Marx: His Life and Works by Otto Ruhle

[Bala Perdida]

For politics try Noam Chomsky's: Hegemony or Survival. Anarcho-Communism can be explained in Kropotkin's: The Conquest of Bread

[Brosa Luxemburg]

Principles of Communism by Engels (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/11/prin-com.htm)

I always suggest this work in these types of threads, and for a good reason. Like the Manifesto, but I think more effective.

The Reproduction of Daily Life by Fredy Perlman (https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/perlman-fredy/1969/misc/reproduction-daily-life.htm)

Short and easy to understand explanation on how capitalism works, why it is exploitative, etc.

Introduction to Marxist Economics by Ernest Mandel (http://www.marxists.org/archive/mandel/1967/intromet/)

Exactly as the title says and similar to The Reproduction of Daily Life. I disagree with some aspects of the writing, but overall it is very good and I wish I would have known about it when I first became interested in socialism.

Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution by Peter Kropotkin (http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/kropotkin-peter/1902/mutual-aid/)

Writing by an anarchist about how cooperation and mutual aid are the most important factors in the survival of species. Good for countering "competition is natural" and whatnot.

The System of Communist Representation by Amadeo Bordiga (http://www.marxists.org/archive/bordiga/works/1919/representation.htm)

Bordiga on the importance of the soviet system for representing the proletariat.

State and Revolution by Lenin (http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1917/staterev/)

Lenin's description of capitalism and class society, the revolution, the state, and communist society.

Critique of the Gotha Programme by Marx (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1875/gotha/)

Writing by Marx about the dictatorship of the proletariat, the transition from capitalism to communism, proletarian internationalism, and the party.

How Socialism Can Organize Production Without Money by Adam Buick and Pieter Lawrence (http://theoryandpractice.org.uk/library/how-socialism-can-organise-production-without-money-adam-buick-pieter-lawrence-1984)

About the "economic calculation" argument, calculation in kind, production for use-value and without money.

[Redistribute the Rep]

George Orwell's Homage to Catalonia

[laoch na phoblacht]

the wretched of the earth by Fanon is a must
Gramsci is another I would highly recommend

[BIXX]

Max Stirner: The Ego and Its Own

http://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/max-stirner-the-ego-and-his-own

Renzo Novatore:

http://theanarchistlibrary.org/authors/renzo-novatore

Bruno Filippi: The Rebels Dark Laughter

http://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/bruno-filippi-the-rebel-s-dark-laughter-the-writings-of-bruno-filippi

Wolfi Landstreicher/ Feral Faun:

http://theanarchistlibrary.org/authors/wolfi-landstreicher

http://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/feral-faun-essays

Bob Black: On The Abolition of Work

http://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/bob-black-the-abolition-of-work

Alfredo M. Bonanno

http://theanarchistlibrary.org/authors/alfredo-m-bonanno

That's all off the too of my head.