Rating: 
Summary: Start here for Marx understanding
Review: A great book for beginners, but still confusing. All info on Marx and thinkers before and after him are summarized. Only the bare facts are given which is quite enough. The author gives a wonderful overview of thought from the beginning of understanding to Lenin. Everything is drawn in cartoons to help the reader grasp different concepts. I found it difficult to stop reading because there were no formal chapters or even paragraphs, and remembering where you left off was difficult. Rius gives communism and capitalism overviews from the socialist view point, which is extreamly interesting, but a bit frustrating. In 1976 when this book was written the USSR was still in power and thriving (?) it would be interesting to read a revised edition today. Marx claims over and over that capitalism will fail and communism is the future. The definations located in the back are wonderful and helpful. I used this book as the sole reference when writing a college paper on the theorys of Marx. My professor loved my deliverable and I got an A.
Rating: 
Summary: A surprisingly impressive introduction to Marxist thought
Review: 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 does offer readers an interesting, comprehensible introduction to the basic principles and themes of one of the world's greatest thinkers. I might point out the fact that I personally detest Marx with a passion; the man indirectly caused more trouble than any other individual in history. It is important to know one's enemies well, though, and that is why I have studied Marx to a limited extent. This book was actually one of several required readings in a college course I took on the history of socialism. I had to laugh when I first saw the actual book as it looks like a book of cartoons. Don't let the seeming simplicity of the book fool you, though. Rius uses cartoons and tiny bits of comedy in order to make one's introduction to the subject as interesting as possible, and he covers the basics quite well indeed: Marx's philosophy, his economic doctrine, and his concept of historical materialism. This is an increasingly complex triumvirate of concepts. Actual quotations from Marx himself often drop in front of you like a ton of bricks, but Rius uses this building material to construct a humble edifice of understanding and instruction. He especially excels at placing Marx's ideas in their original historical context, summarizing the evolution of society over the years and pointing to the sources from which Marx drew most heavily: German philosophy, English political economy, and French socialism. You may just be skimming the deep waters of Marxism, but before you know it you've actually learned something about what Marx thought and why he thought it. To further help you along, Rius provides a pretty impressive little glossary of terms at the end and offers a few suggestions on the subject of further reading for those who would like to pursue the subject further. Whether you hate him or love him, Marx is important, and Marx for Beginners is the most accessible gateway to his philosophy and economic theories that I know of.
Rating:
Summary: A surprisingly impressive introduction to Marxist thought
Review: 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 does offer readers an interesting, comprehensible introduction to the basic principles and themes of one of the world's greatest thinkers. I might point out the fact that I personally detest Marx with a passion; the man indirectly caused more trouble than any other individual in history. It is important to know one's enemies well, though, and that is why I have studied Marx to a limited extent. This book was actually one of several required readings in a college course I took on the history of socialism. I had to laugh when I first saw the actual book as it looks like a book of cartoons. Don't let the seeming simplicity of the book fool you, though. Rius uses cartoons and tiny bits of comedy in order to make one's introduction to the subject as interesting as possible, and he covers the basics quite well indeed: Marx's philosophy, his economic doctrine, and his concept of historical materialism. This is an increasingly complex triumvirate of concepts. Actual quotations from Marx himself often drop in front of you like a ton of bricks, but Rius uses this building material to construct a humble edifice of understanding and instruction. He especially excels at placing Marx's ideas in their original historical context, summarizing the evolution of society over the years and pointing to the sources from which Marx drew most heavily: German philosophy, English political economy, and French socialism. You may just be skimming the deep waters of Marxism, but before you know it you've actually learned something about what Marx thought and why he thought it. To further help you along, Rius provides a pretty impressive little glossary of terms at the end and offers a few suggestions on the subject of further reading for those who would like to pursue the subject further. Whether you hate him or love him, Marx is important, and Marx for Beginners is the most accessible gateway to his philosophy and economic theories that I know of.
Rating:
Summary: Iskra (The Spark)
Review: Certainly the book is dated, but it gives a great overview of the history of European philosophy (critical if you want to understand where Marx was coming from), a sketch of Marx's life, and a very-abbreviated overview of his philosophy. Like all of the cartoon introduction books, "Marx for Beginners" is meant to give you enough information to spark your interest, but not enough to be a substitute for the subject's work. To be honest, Marxism is like one of those ultra-complicated gadgets you see in "The Way Things Work" books, and like those books, Rius gives the reader and exploded view of Charlie's theory. Will be used in poli-sci classes forever.
Rating:
Summary: Marx: a dirty word, but fun to say!
Review: Eduardo Del Rio's "Marx for Beginners" is an indispensable guide to the writings of Karl Marx. It's informative, easy to read and a lot of fun. Don't let the title or the cartoons inside fool you, this is a serious book that succeeds in introducing the reader to the works of Karl Marx. If your familiar with "Charles," as Rius (the author's pen name) affectionately calls him, then this book will serve as a reference and refresher; if you know nothing of Marx and want to learn more, then "Marx for Beginners" is the place to start. The book gives you a concise biography of Marx, a run down of his influences, his philosophy and doctrines. There's also some nice background on Marx's time period and a brief intro to ancient philosophy, as it applies to Marx. Included is a little dictionary of Marxist terms that serves as a great reference. Marxism isn't an easy subject to tackle and it's certainly not something you can digest in a few days, but this book puts Marx's work into a clear framework and has helped me understand it more clearly. I enjoyed this book immensely and I'm still reading it. If you're in a state of moratorium with your political, social, economic, and/or spiritual beliefs, please read this book...it's bound to have some kind of influence on you! Believe me, this book has moved me to learn more about Marx and his work.
Rating:
Summary: Marx: a dirty word, but fun to say!
Review: Eduardo Del Rio's "Marx for Beginners" is an indispensable guide to the writings of Karl Marx. It's informative, easy to read and a lot of fun. Don't let the title or the cartoons inside fool you, this is a serious book that succeeds in introducing the reader to the works of Karl Marx. If your familiar with "Charles," as Rius (the author's pen name) affectionately calls him, then this book will serve as a reference and refresher; if you know nothing of Marx and want to learn more, then "Marx for Beginners" is the place to start. The book gives you a concise biography of Marx, a run down of his influences, his philosophy and doctrines. There's also some nice background on Marx's time period and a brief intro to ancient philosophy, as it applies to Marx. Included is a little dictionary of Marxist terms that serves as a great reference. Marxism isn't an easy subject to tackle and it's certainly not something you can digest in a few days, but this book puts Marx's work into a clear framework and has helped me understand it more clearly. I enjoyed this book immensely and I'm still reading it. If you're in a state of moratorium with your political, social, economic, and/or spiritual beliefs, please read this book...it's bound to have some kind of influence on you! Believe me, this book has moved me to learn more about Marx and his work.
Rating:
Summary: The ___ for Beginners series is a milestone!!
Review: I first ran into this series of books in the early '80s and loved them. For years, I recommended these books to my friends as a jumping off place on any number of subjects, but have been completely unable to find them. Many thanks to Amazon.com for carrying them now. I only hope that they become featured and easy for users to find. Addressing the one negative review that I saw online, I have to shake my head. Yes, if you want to know anything in depth on a subject, you must certainly go to the source. These books would never pretend to be a master's course in any of the subjects that they present (Freud, Marx, Lacan, Quantum Physics, You Name It). What they do, and do extremely well, is make the learning curve a lot less steep. They give a shape to the overall thought that they are describing. And they make it fun. Hard to imagine that anyone who wants to learn something (or who wants other people to learn something) could do anything other than cheer this excellent series.
Rating:
Summary: I Was Disappointed
Review: I had been eyeing this book for a while. It looked like a lot of fun. I had been looking for simpler ways of explaining Marx to people. In some ways, this book does exactly that. It starts to illustrate some Marxist concepts that work great in diagram format. Yet there aren't many concepts here. Most of the book concentrates on Marx's life and philosophers leading up to him. Then a scant few pages mention Marx's view, many of which are just cut-and-pasted from the Manifesto or Das Kapitel without much explanation. And then there's a funny-headed picture of Lenin and "The End." I was hoping for something better, more entertaining. And certain concepts were missed or not presented well, such as the relationship between the Structure and Super-structure. It doesn't lay out Marx's pre-requisites for socialism (of which, Russia had not met before the revolution and therefore was doomed to failure). It is also a product of its time, 1976. It's not too useful to have a pro-Lenin interpretation of Marx after the Cold War. And that's where maybe my personal views of Marxism interfered with my enjoyment of the book. It too closely ties Leninism-Stalinism to Marxism. It, in fact, suggests that Leninism was the conclusion of Marxism. Anyway, the book is not that entertaining. It confuses more than it clarifies. And it barely even approaches its subject.
Rating:
Summary: I Was Disappointed
Review: I had been eyeing this book for a while. It looked like a lot of fun. I had been looking for simpler ways of explaining Marx to people. In some ways, this book does exactly that. It starts to illustrate some Marxist concepts that work great in diagram format. Yet there aren't many concepts here. Most of the book concentrates on Marx's life and philosophers leading up to him. Then a scant few pages mention Marx's view, many of which are just cut-and-pasted from the Manifesto or Das Kapitel without much explanation. And then there's a funny-headed picture of Lenin and "The End." I was hoping for something better, more entertaining. And certain concepts were missed or not presented well, such as the relationship between the Structure and Super-structure. It doesn't lay out Marx's pre-requisites for socialism (of which, Russia had not met before the revolution and therefore was doomed to failure). It is also a product of its time, 1976. It's not too useful to have a pro-Lenin interpretation of Marx after the Cold War. And that's where maybe my personal views of Marxism interfered with my enjoyment of the book. It too closely ties Leninism-Stalinism to Marxism. It, in fact, suggests that Leninism was the conclusion of Marxism. Anyway, the book is not that entertaining. It confuses more than it clarifies. And it barely even approaches its subject.
Rating:
Summary: Amusingly educating and entertaining
Review: I had to read this book for my Russian studies class, and I have to admit I enjoyed reading about history in this cartoon format. It makes Marxism easier to understand. However, it discusses the ideology and its background in details. Recommended for anyone who does studies in history because Marxism is one of the most important topics in twentieth century history (not only in Russia).
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