Marx: A Complete Introduction: Teach Yourself by Gill Hands

by Gill Hands

Is this the right book for me? A Complete Introduction will familiarize you with the revolutionary thinking of this significant man. It will take you through all the essential concepts - from class struggle to dialectical materialism. Expressing Marx's sometimes complex ideas in simple terms, and backed up with references to his own texts, this book gives you everything you need to know. Learn effortlessly with a new easy-to-read page design and interactive Author insightsLots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author's many years of experience.Test yourselfTests in the book and online to keep track of your progress. Five things to rememberQuick refreshers to help you remember the key facts.Try thisInnovative exercises illustrate what you've learnt and how to use it.

Genres: History, Politics, Theory, Economics, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published May 25, 2007

Reviews

[Theo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty solid introduction to the life and works of Karl Marx, I think that it does a great job of summarizing his life, the evolution of his thought, the impact of his ideas, and how they have been built upon since. I think it leaves the reader in a great place to start reading Marx's work for themselves. I have two issues with the book though. The first is that I think it could have used more direct quotations rather than just telling the reader what Marx said. Second, it seemed like there was a bit of a disconnect between what the main text was saying and some of the highlights/summaries that were added. I'm not sure if the author was responsible for both parts or not, but it seemed a bit jarring to me at points. Aside from those two issues, I think that it's a great introduction and would recommend it to people interested in the subject.

[Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think some people criticised the use of simple language as being plain and unengaging; I thought it was to great benefit that this book used simple language.
Marx is a very well known thinker of the 19th century but, from my experience, is vaguely known as a thinker and is not pinned down to a particular field of academics. Marxism, as well, is a well known ideology, but it is abstruse and could be difficult to grasp for someone unfamiliar with his work, as I was.
I found it excellent that this book was written in simple language as Marxist ideas were conveyed to me without being verbose and clouded in opinion. This book is structured as informative as possible, keeping its writing factual and serious, so as to easily help a person absorb the knowledge and 'Teach' themself.

[Andrew]

I have dabbled in Marx’s writings in the past, but they generally bore me to tears with the countless cultural references and endless pages of jargon. This book has been helpful to demystify some of that, offering clarity and context. Perhaps, like Marx himself, the author over-simplifies some things, or suggests a more dynamic and nuanced theory than Marx really intended at the time. We shall see if the experience of reading Marx is any less miserable for me than it was before reading this, but if nothing else this information will serve me well as I explore other primary sources relevant to socialist history.

[Ali Rehman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I followed up Marx autobiography by reading this book It gives the readers a quick overview of the founder of Marxism

[Nick Tramdack · Rating 1 out of 5]

I guess this is an okay introduction to Marx, in that if you don't know anything about Marx, you'll know more after reading than you did before.

But if you really want to read Marx, you should probably just read some of Marx's key texts (like the 18th Brumaire or the Communist Manifesto or even some of Capital) with some sort of outline or companion to help you with the Hegelian stuff and the references to now-out-of-fashion political economists like David Ricardo. This book doesn't teach much you can't get for free on Wikipedia.

I'm not going to claim to understand Marx, but I do know enough to tell that this book oversimplifies a lot. It might be worth your time to challenge yourself and just go with the original.

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book to refresh my knowledge on Marx's theories. It achieved what I had in mind and a little more. This is a book written in very simple language to help people grasp Marxist theories and concepts. Do not expect a highly academic book full of Marxist jargon. It breaks down very difficult concepts to grasp into understandable chunks (and at times oversimplifies).

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m familiar with Karl Marx, and I have read some of his works over the years. Nonetheless, if you know nothing about him, the environment he lived in, why he said the things he said, and where he went wrong on somethings, then this book may help you. It will not make you an expert on the subject matter, but it will help you to become more informed.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative but plain.