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before the revolutionary activity of which surrounded Marx in the years the years 1847 and 1848 fill the first half of the book. This is a very wise choice of emphasis because Marx is thus seen not as an isolated man of destiny but a man surrounded by all the vigorous influences and violent activities of those fateful years in European history.
Biography isa form of writing which has its own particular art. Yet considerations of Literary art cannot intrude upon the interpretation of either persons or affairs. Nor should the author's personality be seen more vigorously than the development of the main character, There is in this book @ nice balance of these demands. Early events in the life of Marx are not given for background. They are presented as an Integral part of his fife, 1 is no mere accident that such man should have come from an apostate Jewish family which had left the synagogue marder to keep a political post. The conditions in the Old Rhineland town of Trier in those Feaetionary days following Napoleon's downfall were to play an important part in the moulding of the young man, His university. years. first Bonn and then in Prussia. introduced fan element of class warfare with the conflict between the scions of the old feudal families and the sons of the bourgeois citizens, 'The interests of Marx rapidly centred about philosophy at a time when political under-Currenis wore foreed to masquerade tunder' philosophical. guise.
The Lean Years One appreciates too the time given to a description of the personal life fof Marx. not only in his younger days, Sut as a married man. yours filled with journalistic hack-work performed to keep body and soul together, poverty endured for the sake of his rife work, not only by himself but also by his family. give a deep note of tragedy to his life. The fine sympathy. with. which the authors portray" the relationship between Marx and Engels makes this friend ship worthy to be one of the classic examples of one man's friendship and devotion for another. There are also {fine characterizations of men connect-fed with Marx in he socialist movement.
The authors foreword: claims that Manx influence as the revolutionary leader of the proletariat in lisstrugale {o overthrow capitalism is the essen that point regarding him=not the {ruth'o talaly of Marxian cconomle doctrines. Marx himecit when asked what his idea of happiness. was, Fowered "0 fight." The years of Te-elution in 1648-1840 and the years the First International are given parliculae, prominence. The authors have. used documents" only available fand discovered a(ter the Wor Some of these are from the archive of the German Social Democrat Party. which contained manuscripts of Marx trid Engels Left at their death, mane Scripts of thole. contemporaries and {ellow fighters: as well as documents relating to. the. First. international Ghis material is wot now in Germany. but has been taken to Prague.) Much hitherto" unused. material hes teen taken from old newspapers and Periodicals. ar well as from the state Erchives at Berlin-Dahlem and Dres-fen. Documents regarding the Prus-Sian government's attempt to have Marx "expelled. from England were found in the Record Office, The long quotations give a vigorous flavour to the narrative. Many serious sludente of Mare will regret the omission of the full ist of source materials used trid of an-indication of the present Tocation "of auch materials
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.