As much as I dislike Marx and his -ism, this is a good summary. ( )

Interesting enough that I'm almost thinking of reading Das Kapital itself -- a new impulse

Having read Das Kapital in college as part of my studies in Economic History I was intrigued when I came upon this title. What in this very short book could Mr. Wheen say about Karl Marx's massive tome? Surprisingly, he can and does say a lot about the genesis of Marx's work as well as its meaning and, most importantly, its impact. I remember my economic studies as having focused on the economic theories propounded by Marx and having been impressed that he shared with Adam Smith the subsequently debunked "labor theory of value". While this is mentioned in the section discussing Marx's views of "Industrial Capitalism" there is much more in Wheen's short book. There are three sections including "Gestation" and "Birth" where the background and publication of the work are discussed. But the final chapter, "Afterlife", is of the most interest because it narrates the way Marx's thought has permeated into our culture; a way not unlike the thought of Darwin, Freud, or even Einstein has. In Marx's case many people are unaware of their debt to him and while his economic ideas regarding Socialism have been dismissed by economists his thought still shapes much of the narrative about globalism and the world.
I always thought that Marx was heavily influenced by the thought of the philosopher Hegel. While that is certainly true, the author of this book provides evidence that as an writer and an artist he was also influenced by other writers like Balzac and Mary Shelley. Perhaps that is a better way to think about Marx; as an artist who creates a monster that turns against his master and refuses to be controlled. Unfortunately, the afterlife of the monster he unleashed lives with us still today. ( )

A short but sweet telling of the creation and birth of Marx's magnum opus, and its afterlife. Not as biographical as Isaiah Berlin's Marx or as relevant to today's economic situation as David Harvey's Enigma if Capital, but still interesting and informative, especially the description of Marx's self-doubt about his book's true merit. Readers new to Marx's ideas will find this book to be a good place to start exploring. ( )

Marx's Das Kapital: A Biography Books that changed the world by Francis Wheen is a little book under 150 pages. I checked this book out of the library and I really enjoyed it. I’m sure it sounds dull to many. While I’m not an economist I thought since we are going through a troubled economy at present, this book would be worthwhile to read. I’ve read The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx but that was the only translated original work of his that I’ve read. This book was by Francis Wheen who did an excellent job. I really appreciated his writing style. He made it very entertaining and informative. From the early days in Marx’s life, illnesses in his home, growing up poor, his veracious reading and intelligence (at least that’s what I got out of reading this book), his interaction with Friedrich Engels, Engles’ criticism of his writing, and after translation of the original Das Kapital how it was read, interpreted and used by other countries. Wheen, for me, did an excellent job with his critique of the book and some of the ideas in it, and how other economist's ideas on the subject. It appeared that Wheen is a Marx fan and he gives a challenge to people in the modern age to take up where Marx left off and see what they can make of his ideas. I am an American and I love my country but I really do wonder about humanity, the greed and prices continuing to rise an ask myself, “How can this continue?” a lot. I’m sure it has something to do with supply and demand and the public keeping the prices down but so far I don’t see that panning out. I do not think, as Marx posits, that the Capital system will crash on its self and the Proletariat or working class will rise up. Maybe what we are currently seeing is all about that happening. I do like how Wheen help up the idea of production. Anyway, if any of you want to read this book and talk to me about it, I’d be happy to. I’d give this book 4 stars-it was great. Even though I prefer to base my thoughts on original sources rather than somebody else’s thought, I do not want to read 1000 pages of Marx’s magnum opus. Wheen said that Engels’ had too many critical comments about the writing, the difficult concepts and Marx’s lame excuse in his work basically saying, “It’s up to the reader to get the words and concepts” and he refused to break it down. I’m also thankful that I grew up in the United States of America where we can study this stuff openly. Thank God for America! ( )

Marx's Das Kapital is one of the most influential books of the modern era, but it is also over 1000 pages, few people have the time or patience for its peculiarities. It's a strange, incomplete and difficult work. This short biography of Das Kapital provides an excellent and understandable overview of how it came to be written, what it actually says, and how it has influenced others. Not being an economist I had trouble following the economic theories, but its literary connections were surprising. It's essentially a satire of classic 17th and 18th century economic philosophers, Edmund Wilson called it one of the greatest ironic works ever written. Marx references 100s of great literary authors and works, including Tristam Shandy, which Das Kapital resembles with its endless digressions, and incredibly Frankenstein, which was a favorite of Marx. He was disappointed when no one took notice of his treaties literary merits. Instead it was picked up by an obscure group of Russians who under Lenin molded the theory to include the concept of a "proletariat intelligentsia" (working class thinkers) to run the show, an idea Marx was against. Thus started the misuse of Marx by every dictator in the world up until this day. Ironically it is only in the West, with its freedom of academic discussion, that real Marxists can exist (whatever "real" means). This is a short book but dense with insight and ideas, it would reward reading again and I hope to do so, it's probably the closest I'll ever come to actually reading Das Kapital itself. ( )