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363rd out of 388 books
—
1,106 voters
Marx for Beginners
by
Rius
A cartoon book about Marx? Are you sure it's Karl, not Groucho? How can you summarize the work of Karl Marx in cartoons? It took Rius to do it. He's put it all in: the origins of Marxist philosophy, history, economics; of capital, labor, the class struggle, socialism. And there's a biography of "Charlie" Marx besides.
Like the companion volumes in the series, Marx for Begin...more
Like the companion volumes in the series, Marx for Begin...more
Paperback, 160 pages
Published
July 15th 2003
by Pantheon
(first published 1976)
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Breezed through this in four hours. Easy to read, amusing and interesting. Written from a British point of view, but all is forgiven. A good way to learn about Marx's life and the development of his thought, the historical context of his thought and even some historical context of the development of a lot of western philosophy and basic capitalist and socialist economic concepts. I would highly recommend this book for anyone from 12 to 112.
The only real problem I had was the lack of female repre...more
The only real problem I had was the lack of female repre...more
I read this book again after so many years after I bought it, when I were 18 years old, I think, in 1995 (you should say I possess a great memory, ahahaha!). One way or another this a good introductory book for everyone that is interested in doing their first start in the world of polithics and whants to understand the storical reasons behind the creation of Communism in their most known form, the Marxism-Leninism. I know that when I choose the leave a review about one such a book here, everybod...more
The English language version of this book was published in 1976 so some of the statements seem a bit dated. For example, Rius states that 1/3 of the world's population "practices communism" which is not the case now.
This book was just enough of an introduction to get me interested in how the world progressed toward capitalism and what practical system would be better. Though the author obviously thought highly of Marx and socialist government structures, he wasn't really able to give me a convi...more
This book was just enough of an introduction to get me interested in how the world progressed toward capitalism and what practical system would be better. Though the author obviously thought highly of Marx and socialist government structures, he wasn't really able to give me a convi...more
Here is a pretty good primer for Marx theology.
accuracies
I am not sure if the "modern" idea of the "world spirit" struck a chord with the "masses" of the west as Rius postulates in page 59 at the time of Spinoza. The "world Spirit" Theology is certainly necessary for Marx-Engels philosophy.
* Marx desperately needed Rousseau's presentation of the "noble" savage in western culture, to create the idea that the only source of value is human labor power(page 104). The idea that man is basically and a...more
accuracies
I am not sure if the "modern" idea of the "world spirit" struck a chord with the "masses" of the west as Rius postulates in page 59 at the time of Spinoza. The "world Spirit" Theology is certainly necessary for Marx-Engels philosophy.
* Marx desperately needed Rousseau's presentation of the "noble" savage in western culture, to create the idea that the only source of value is human labor power(page 104). The idea that man is basically and a...more
I found a copy of this book in a used book store for a buck and thought it looked like a nice introductory piece on Marx/Marxism. Hey, why not for a buck right? I'm glad I picked it up because it only took two or three hours to read and I feel like I've gained perspective on Marx, his major ideas, and how those ideas play into the context of history. It's a comic book of sorts, though the illustrations and text feel more free-form than what that may lead you to think. Reading it felt as if being...more
Never thought that I'd have to read a comic book twice in order to grasp something. Well, that is Marx in easier terms, I'd imagine.
It must be a different task, and a difficult one if I may add, of putting such complex theories with such creativity. It is not like a fiction but working in someone else's domain with your creativity and understanding as your only tool.
Rius starts off with a funny tone and thankfully, he never exits from it till he says The End . The comments made by author throu...more
It must be a different task, and a difficult one if I may add, of putting such complex theories with such creativity. It is not like a fiction but working in someone else's domain with your creativity and understanding as your only tool.
Rius starts off with a funny tone and thankfully, he never exits from it till he says The End . The comments made by author throu...more
I picked up this book not because I am interested in Socialism or Marx, but simply because I like the "for Beginners" comic series. The book series are comics that talk about the history and theories of various famous scientist, psychologist, and in this case- philosopher. I found this book the most disappointing in the series. The other books would incorporated the pictures with the text better, making the lesson visual. But Marx theories are perhaps a little bit harder to show visually. So the...more
If you've never quite been able to wrap your head around the concept of what the poor economist and philosopher was trying to say, this book is for you. Comic wit helps to drive it home, and open the mind to what he was saying. Not that it doesn't still have problems, no system is perfect. As a result of reading this book, I firmly believe you will not see any Pure system of Communism, Free-Market, etc. ever truly succeed. The most stable systems tend to be mixtures of the various systems, takin...more
Short book....but I like illustrated learning because my mind thinks in pictures (why I love RSA Animate). I think most Americans are afraid of Marx, because they associate him with Communism, which is true. However, to me, he's more Socialist. More than promoting those two things, I think it's important to understand the weakness of Capitalism, who it benefits, and who it exploits. If you are a Middle-Class American, I highly recommend reading Marx - this is a good, light, informative introduct...more
Super-accessible introduction to Marx's theories. Fun. It's in comic book format!
It introduces the concept of dialectic materialism in a logical and sequential manner. It's kind of a silly name for what is a really simple idea. I mean, I think that his views on economics were more interesting than his social/historiography theories.
Only issues: it has a sarcastic tone towards religion (mainly Christianity), and so this comic book may lose some readers that may have otherwise been more receptive...more
It introduces the concept of dialectic materialism in a logical and sequential manner. It's kind of a silly name for what is a really simple idea. I mean, I think that his views on economics were more interesting than his social/historiography theories.
Only issues: it has a sarcastic tone towards religion (mainly Christianity), and so this comic book may lose some readers that may have otherwise been more receptive...more
A lot of people probably think they know what Marxism is all about, but in reality only a precious few have any intimate acquaintance with the man's writings and ideas. Only the hardiest of souls can pour through the voluminous pages that constitute Marx's significant body of work, writings that are as dense and complex as just about anything you would ever hope to find. No single book can communicate the depth and breadth of Marxism, but a single book, namely Marx For Beginners by Rius, can and...more
La verdad es que esta serie «para principiantes» es una excelente herramienta introductoria a diversas temáticas y/o autores. Este en particular abarca un contenido extenso que está muy bien sintetizado, bastante concreto y divertido en algunas partes. Es más fácil digerir la obra de algún autor cuando se tiene ya una base al menos introductoria a su pensamiento y esto es lo que buscan estos libros.
Mar 19, 2009
Leonardo
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone interested in politics and economy
Rius se curó en salud al señalar abiertamente, en la introducción del libro, que no había entendido el marxismo y que, inclusive recurriendo al estudiosos del tema, había llegado a la conclusión de que explicar a Marx era un atrevimiento, cuando no una locura. Así que quien se acerque a este libro con la esperanza de obtener una maestría instantánea en marxismo se irá decepcionado. La explicacíon de la doctrina de Marx y Engels ocupa una parte pequeña (aunque no por eso menos imortante y razonab...more
Because I keep seeing references to Marx pop up in scholarly articles, I knew it was important to review my knowledge of his philosophies. However, tackling a research study on the mass of his writing is a bit daunting. So, this reader with cute dialogue and simple illustrations makes it a bit more accessible.
Cute, but I felt that the illustrations didn't add any particular depth or understanding to the text, nor did they seem to even help the flow. I know for some people simply having images to break up the text is enough to make something readable so this might be fine for them, but it wasn't really great for me.
One of the first books I read on Philosophy ever, when I was 14, very accessible and easy to read and it gave me a taste for philosophic inquiry which has still not left me 18 years later. This is a good grounding for Marx's ideas and where they came from as well as other eminent philosophers ideas, Worth looking up.
If you want to begin to understand Karl Marx and communism better this book is the place to start. Done in a cartoon format it is simple and funny. It gives a pretty good summary of philosophical thought up until Marx as well (to show where he was coming from when he developed his manifesto).
Even if you are familiar with Marxist theory, this is worth the afternoon it will take to finish it. Short and entertaining--funny, even--read, nicely laid out and a good refresher to the theoretical lineage of Marx and Engels. Inspired me to read Das Kapital this summer!
Obsolete, curious mix of dogmatic, unreflective and slightly boring ... but then again it is from 1976 and perhaps most relevant as an indicative of a contempoary point of view. Definitely not relevant for a post collapse of Communism reappraisal of Marx and Marxism
I began reading Communist Manifesto and found it a hard read so my husband recommended I start with something lighter and gave me this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Enough so I plan on trying to drudge my way through Communist Manifesto again.
Best, easiest to understand introduction to Marx so far. It places marx in a historical line up alongside other philosophers so you can easily see how he fits into history.
Didn't realize it was a comic book when I grabbed this off the library shelf, and I probably would not have checked it out if I knew it was, but in the end it ended up being better than all the other Marx introductory books combined.
Rius really makes marx's key concepts simple and easy to understand while at the same time ill...more
Didn't realize it was a comic book when I grabbed this off the library shelf, and I probably would not have checked it out if I knew it was, but in the end it ended up being better than all the other Marx introductory books combined.
Rius really makes marx's key concepts simple and easy to understand while at the same time ill...more
Jan 15, 2013
Emma
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who wants to learn the basics of philosophy
Recommended to Emma by:
My Dad, a philosophy professor
I was a little too simplistic in some parts and as far as historical background it generally went for what is the accepted understanding of certain parts of history rather what is accurate. Over all it was pretty good though.
Teaching this for class this week. It's kind of silly—Rius sort of oscillates between annoying and reductive snark and really, really clear explanations. It's not bad! Especially for these high school students.
A wonderful, animated short read that outlines Marx's core principles, puts them in historical context, and shares a little about his life. All this is done with quick sketches which help the reading go quickly.
Marx in cartoon form isn't that much easier... But it does help. Some of this is a bit dated but still accessible. It's a good starting point for someone wanting to know more about this mysterious bearded man.
These books are fantastic and so helpful in getting accross the basic themes and concepts. I read Marx's Communist Mannifesto and some areas were a little grey to me, this book really helped iron them out in a simple cartoon format.
I read this book years ago and it is awesome. It provides a really good intro to Marxism for those who aren't familiar with the man's work. Top drawer!
For what it is, this book is very well done. Don't, however, expect to gain a lot of insight into the depths of Marx's theories; all treatments are superficial.
A very light read but an effective introduction to Marx and the concepts, terms and people behind the evolution of Marxism!
jajaja mis classmates llevaban porno a escondidas y les trueque unas hustler por ese libro, porno for marx jajaja
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undeciphering a genius today | 1 | 9 | Nov 23, 2008 06:58pm |
Rius is the pseudonym of Eduardo del Rio, the internationally acclaimed Mexican caricaturist and editorial cartoonist whose innovative work established a new field in comic strips: the political and documentary cartoon-book.
More about Rius...
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