Reading for a beginner?

[baneofyourlife]

I'm sorry if a similar post has already been made, but could somebody provide a concise list of books i should purchase as an introduction to left wing subjects.

I am very much a beginner, thereforth any suggestions will be highly appreciated.

Lenin? Che? Mao?

Thankyou for your time.

[nuisance]

Kropotkin- The Conquest of Bread
Malatesta- At the Cafe: Conversations on Anarchism

[Bright Banana Beard]

ABC of Anarchism by Alexander Berkman
link: http://www.lucyparsonsproject.org/anarchism/berkman_abc_of_anarchism.html

[Black Sheep]

Lenin's State and revolution

and you will be needed to read Che Guevara's-guerilla warfare very soon.
lol just kidding.:)

[F9]

Kropotkin- The Conquest of Bread
Malatesta- At the Cafe: Conversations on Anarchism
This


ABC of Anarchism by Alexander Berkman
link: http://www.lucyparsonsproject.org/an...anarchism.html (http://www.lucyparsonsproject.org/anarchism/berkman_abc_of_anarchism.html)

And this:thumbup1:

Fuserg9:star:

[Random Precision]

History of the Russian Revolution by Leon Trotsky. A bit hefty, but worth its weight in gold.

[baneofyourlife]

Haha, i have already read Che's Guerilla Warfare! cliche...

are the books mentioned easily available in bookshops in the UK? I'll look into all of them now, thank you for your contributions.

[rouchambeau]

Though I'm not a leninist, I have to second The State and Revolution. I don't agree with the conclusions Lenin comes to in the last couple chapters, but everything leading up to that point was pretty solid.

If you feel like getting an introduction to capitalism I would recommend chapters 1, 26, 29, and 31-33 of Marx's Capital vol. 1.

White Like Me by Tim Wise and Feminism Without Boarders by Chandra Mohanty are also good reads.

[F9]

Haha, i have already read Che's Guerilla Warfare! cliche...

are the books mentioned easily available in bookshops in the UK? I'll look into all of them now, thank you for your contributions.

propably,they are well known books all of them.
For the Anarchist one,you can find them and online,you wont need to buy them,you can find them here (http://www.revleft.com/vb/queries-theory-t83290/index.html) and a lot other interesting books.;)

Fuserg9:star:

[Hit The North]

May I suggest this: http://www.marxists.org/archive/hallas/works/1971/meaning/index.htm

Written in a clear and concise style which avoids technical jargon. The Reading List at the end is also a treasure trove of good introductory texts, most of which can be found on MIA: http://www.marxists.org/

The late Paul Foot's excellent Why You Should Be A Socialist is also available there and well worth reading: http://www.marxists.org/archive/foot-paul/1977/wysbas/index.htm

Good luck! :)

[baneofyourlife]

propably,they are well known books all of them.
For the Anarchist one,you can find them and online,you wont need to buy them,you can find them and a lot other interesting books.;)

Fuserg9:star:

Thankyou Fuser, what side of Cyprus are you from?

[F9]

Thankyou Fuser, what side of Cyprus are you from?

the south(?),i dont really know the directions,except from east and west:blushing:(in english of course),but i am in the "side" as called greek-cypriots side.Hopefully though those sides are going to be extinguished soon!
Nothing,glad to help.

Fuserg9:star:

[Robespierre2.0]

"Principles of Communism" and "Socialism: Utopian and Scientific" by Engels
"Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism" by Lenin

Also, you realize that the left is filled with quite a few bickering factions, who are going to tell you to read *their* books and not anyone else's. Anarchists will tell you to read Bakunin and Kropotkin. Trotskyists will tell you read Trotsky. Anti-Revisionists (Stalinists, Maoists) will tell you to read "Trotskyism or Leninism" by Harpal Brar, or "Foundations of Leninism" by Stalin.

Find out for yourself which is correct, but please, don't write off Stalin simply because of what you learned in school. Even if you come to the conclusion that Stalin was bad, at least you'll have read his stuff and understand what you're talking about.

[Os Cangaceiros]

Marxism: The Meaning of Marxism by Paul D'Amato
Anarchism: The Anarchist FAQ (online)

These are fairly decent overviews. TMOM is the only overview on Marxism that I've ever read, and it's written from a fairly non-sectarian point of view (although I believe that the author is a Trot). It's one of the only texts I've ever read that hasn't degenerated into incomprehesible jargon when trying to explain the concept of dialectics.

The Anarchist FAQ is long, but good for another overview.

And of course you should read the primary texts, as well.

[trivas7]

The meaning of Marxism (http://www.amazon.com/Meaning-Marxism-Paul-DAmato/dp/1931859299/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220634291&sr=8-1) by Paul D'amato.

[ern]

Rosa Luxemburg's Reform or Revolution.

[baneofyourlife]

Thank you all very much.