Choice Review
The Communist Manifesto is one of the most famous works of political theory, and also one of the most often reprinted. In the past 20 years alone, at least four scholarly editions of the Manifesto have appeared (Norton, Penguin, Signet, and Verso). Isaac (Indiana Univ., Bloomington) gives readers one more, prompting a question: why? This volume offers two distinctive contributions. First, it contains not only the main text (in the standard Moore translation), but also several "early drafts" penned by Engels and the many prefaces to the different language editions. Second, this volume, part of the "Rethinking the Western Tradition" series, focuses not on situating the Manifesto in its historical context but rather on the reception and relevance of the text from 1848 to the present. Five essays by leading scholars in different fields engage with it as a work of political theory (Isaac), social theory (Saskia Sassen), and moral philosophy (Steven Lukes), and consider its historical reception and influence (Stephen Eric Bronner and Vladimir Tismaneanu). Isaac's and Lukes's essays are excellent, yet the volume's audience is ambiguous--some essays speak to the general reader, others to the specialist. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate and research collections. J. Church University of Houston
Library Journal Review
This year's crop of Penguin "Great Ideas" volumes offers another eclectic dozen works that shaped society from the ancient Greeks to the 20th century. The books are fairly no frills, but the price isn't bad. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
