KARL MARX (1818-1883) is today considered one of the world's
seminal thinkers; although at his death he was, in his own words,
"the best hated and most calumniated man of his time." Born in
Trier, Prussia, he was descended from a rabbinical family. At the
University of Bonn and later at the University of Berlin, he joined
a group of radicals who espoused the ideas of Hegel. After
emigrating to Paris in 1843 he became deeply committed to communism
and the overthrow of tyranny. Here too he began his lifelong
association with Friedrich Engels. Finally settling in London with
his wife and family, Marx lived the rest of his life in abject
poverty while creating his masterwork, Das Kapital, and becoming
the leading spirit of revolution throughout the world.
FRIEDRICH ENGELS (1820-1895) is known primarily as the intellectual
companion of Karl Marx. The son of a German textile manufacturer,
Engels became the collaborator and staunch supporter of Marx before
and during the European revolutions of 1848, when together they
created The Communist Manifesto. When Engels outlived his friend by
twelve years, he dedicated himself to editing Marx's manuscripts
and completing the two volumes of Das Kapital left unfinished. A
true friend to the end, he willed all his property to Marx's
children.
This year's crop of Penguin "Great Ideas" volumes offers another eclectic dozen works that shaped society from the ancient Greeks to the 20th century. The books are fairly no frills, but the price isn't bad. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
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