"This book provides, in one volume, primary sources by Marx and critical commentary which relates Marxism to contemporary social and political topics. It includes six brief works by Marx and ten articles by scholars sympathetic to but critical of Marxism. For example, the author includes the classic essay by Heidi Hartmann which criticizes Marxism for misunderstanding gender oppression, "The Unhappy Marriage of Marxism and Feminism." No previous anthology of Marx has combined both brief works by Marx and multiple critical essays elaborating on his themes or engaging the shortcomings of his arguments"--

"Given the present economic rubble, it is time to give renewed attention to less orthodox analyses of the structure and dynamic of capitalist economies. Over a century ago Karl Marx developed the most prominent and politically important of these analyses, explaining the distinctiveness of the capitalist economy and its most likely historical trajectory. Marx's theory continues to provide insights into the crisis-prone dynamic of capitalism, the unstable nature of which is now being demonstrated every night on the evening news. This collection of brief works by Marx and several critical essays intends to make the arguments of Marx accessible to a broader audience"--