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Review
'David McLellan's Karl Marx has been the standard English biography of Marx since its publication. The reappearance of this admirably balanced work in a new and updated edition is to be warmly welcomed.' - Eric Hobsbawm, FBA, Emeritus Professor, Birkbeck, University of London, UK
Reviews of the previous edition:
'An authoritative and thorough re-creation of Marx's life and thought - and the interaction between the two...undoubtedly the best one-volume biography of the great man in existence.' - Sunday Times
'It could be said that the biographers have only changed Marx in various ways; the point is to interpret him - and McLellan has filled a very real gap in doing this as fairly as he can...he has produced the most up-to-date, well-informed, reliable and sensible biography so far.' - New Society
Reviews of the previous edition:
'An authoritative and thorough re-creation of Marx's life and thought - and the interaction between the two...undoubtedly the best one-volume biography of the great man in existence.' - Sunday Times
'It could be said that the biographers have only changed Marx in various ways; the point is to interpret him - and McLellan has filled a very real gap in doing this as fairly as he can...he has produced the most up-to-date, well-informed, reliable and sensible biography so far.' - New Society
Product Description
In the century that followed since his death, Marx became the dominant intellectual force in the world. The Russian and Chinese (and many other) revolutions referred back to Marx. His influence can be found in every area of the human and social sciences from literary criticism to world economics. Reviled by some, revered by others, his ghost continues to haunt our world. In a recent BBC poll, Marx was declared Britain's favourite philosopher.
In what has come to be regarded as the classic biography of Marx, David McLellan gives a clear and detailed account both of Marx's chaotic, dramatic life and of his subtle and path-breaking thought. In this thoroughly revised and updated edition, McLellan has provided a wealth of bibliographical information for reference and further reading. Marx was nothing if not a global thinker and this classic biography is indispensable for anyone wishing to understand our contemporary world.
In what has come to be regarded as the classic biography of Marx, David McLellan gives a clear and detailed account both of Marx's chaotic, dramatic life and of his subtle and path-breaking thought. In this thoroughly revised and updated edition, McLellan has provided a wealth of bibliographical information for reference and further reading. Marx was nothing if not a global thinker and this classic biography is indispensable for anyone wishing to understand our contemporary world.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
First published in 1973 and now updated, this is *the* classic intellectual biography of Karl Marx: an enthralling read as well as a comprehensive introduction to his thought. If you only ever read one biography of Marx, this is the one.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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4 reviews
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Highly entertaining
1 Sep 2006
Format:Paperback
David McLellan's biography of the great man is perhaps the best of of them all. He describes with much wit and feeling Marx' life, from his upbringing in Trier to his final death in London. But not just this: included are also shorter overviews of various other people who played a significant role in the life of Karl Marx, starting of course with Jenny von Westphalen and Friedrich Engels, but also less well-known people such as Herwegh and Kugelmann. McLellan never introduces anyone without telling you what kind of person he was and what role he played in the politics of the time, making the era truly come alive, with all its grandeur and all its silly infighting.
For this biography is certainly not a hagiography. McLellan shows Marx in all his brilliance and his wit, and as the greatest thinker of the age, but he also shows his bad sides: his vindictiveness, his pettiness, his rudeness, his incompetence at managing his financial and personal affairs, and of course the infamous bastard son. All the childish infighting between the socialist émigrés in London, Bruxelles and Paris is revealed, where Marx certainly does not get off scot-free. But there is also room for showing Marx as a family man, as loyal to his few close friends, and as a visionary thinker.
McLellan focuses primarily on Marx' life in a "human interest" manner, rather than concentrating on the development of his theories, although those are of course mentioned. Because of this, many amusing and sometimes surprising anecdotes and oddities turn up to keep this book a page-turner. Before our eye passes a carpet belonging to Leibniz, a drunken outing which ends in vandalism and a police chase, Marx on the run for his creditors, yelling at the Prussian censor, Engels making a wine-tasting tour, a chance meeting with Bismarck's niece, French pornographic verse, carbuncles, and many more things.
There are some minor problems with the book, as can be expected. Occasionally a strange spelling is used ("Carlsbad", "Vera Sassoulitch"), although this may have been fixed in the new edition. The final chapter, an epilogue concerning Marx' legacy, is very superficial and includes all sorts of nonsense about Marxist theory being outdated, and could best have been left out altogether. There is also the tendency to denigrate Engels undeservedly; but this is unsettlingly common among secondary authors on Marx, and is partially reinforced by Engels' personal modesty about his contributions. In any case these are all small issues, and any reader interested in the life of Marx as opposed to 'merely' his theories can do no better but to read this book.
For this biography is certainly not a hagiography. McLellan shows Marx in all his brilliance and his wit, and as the greatest thinker of the age, but he also shows his bad sides: his vindictiveness, his pettiness, his rudeness, his incompetence at managing his financial and personal affairs, and of course the infamous bastard son. All the childish infighting between the socialist émigrés in London, Bruxelles and Paris is revealed, where Marx certainly does not get off scot-free. But there is also room for showing Marx as a family man, as loyal to his few close friends, and as a visionary thinker.
McLellan focuses primarily on Marx' life in a "human interest" manner, rather than concentrating on the development of his theories, although those are of course mentioned. Because of this, many amusing and sometimes surprising anecdotes and oddities turn up to keep this book a page-turner. Before our eye passes a carpet belonging to Leibniz, a drunken outing which ends in vandalism and a police chase, Marx on the run for his creditors, yelling at the Prussian censor, Engels making a wine-tasting tour, a chance meeting with Bismarck's niece, French pornographic verse, carbuncles, and many more things.
There are some minor problems with the book, as can be expected. Occasionally a strange spelling is used ("Carlsbad", "Vera Sassoulitch"), although this may have been fixed in the new edition. The final chapter, an epilogue concerning Marx' legacy, is very superficial and includes all sorts of nonsense about Marxist theory being outdated, and could best have been left out altogether. There is also the tendency to denigrate Engels undeservedly; but this is unsettlingly common among secondary authors on Marx, and is partially reinforced by Engels' personal modesty about his contributions. In any case these are all small issues, and any reader interested in the life of Marx as opposed to 'merely' his theories can do no better but to read this book.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Standard biography of Marx
30 Sep 2006
Format:Paperback
This well-written account of Marx's life stands above the rest. It is a sympathetic but not uncritical recounting of Marx's life. McCellan's book Karl Marx: Selected Writings is a good companion to his biography.
Lacking in the book, however, is much discussion of the ideas of Marx.
For beginners, a clear presentation of the philosophical background of Marx's work can be found in Isaih Berlin's biography of Marx. A variety of opinions about Marx's political, social, and historical theory can be found in the Cambridge Companion to Marx. Ernst Fischer's How to Read Karl Marx clearly discusses some of the foundational notions in Marx's economic theory.
Lacking in the book, however, is much discussion of the ideas of Marx.
For beginners, a clear presentation of the philosophical background of Marx's work can be found in Isaih Berlin's biography of Marx. A variety of opinions about Marx's political, social, and historical theory can be found in the Cambridge Companion to Marx. Ernst Fischer's How to Read Karl Marx clearly discusses some of the foundational notions in Marx's economic theory.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
It will reveal some things you never knew about Marx
19 May 2010
Format:Paperback
I enjoyed this work from McLellan and I thought it was well written, interesting and informative. I wish it had a bit more complete explanation of Marx's economic ideas but this is a biography of the man. Marx's saying that "Philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it" says it all. Marx did put out some revolutionary ideas and the author does straighten out some of Marx's accomplishments in the last chapter. I found his comments about Lenin's use of Marxism very interesting. In summary, a very well written book worth your time.
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