Marx Hardcover – October 14, 2014

Exceptional book for those not versed in the biography or the more complex facets of Marx's writings. Even enjoyed by those who dispute Marxism. HIGHLY recommend.

Interesting look at Marx. What a messed up guy!

The Short:I really had a good time reading this book. It was short and sweet, but really told about Marx's life. It was really interesting to look at his thoughts and dissect how his ideals came to grow in today's society. His ideas are still relevant today, and he did a very good job of knowing what he thought, and putting that into action.The Good:It was funny. There were random bits of humor put into this book, and I really enjoyed it. Whether it was a comical drawing or just something one of the characters said, I greatly appreciated it.The drawings were fantastic. All the characters looked so unique, and you could actually tell who was who when looking at the pictures. The drawing were very stylized, and I had a good time just looking at them and I did more than once find myself saying, "Wow, I wish I could draw even half as good as this artist can."The story was interesting. You got a look at Karl Marx's life without it being too much because if you're reading this book for an in-depth look into Marx's life you won't be satisfied, but all I wanted was a short and aesthetically peaking look into his life, and impact. That was exactly what I got. The book didn't stretch on too long, nor was it too short to where I didn't learn anything.I loved the times when we took a break from his life and learned about what he was writing about. The book did a very good job explaining some of his key concepts with very few words. I really respected the authors' ability to do that.The use of the pictures was marvelous. The pictures were not just to make the book look good, but they were also visual aids to help you understand what you're reading about.I said this last time I read a Nobrow Press book, and I'll say it again, THE QUALITY OF THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD. Not just the content, but also the physical book. The hardcover is very high quality, and the paper was very thick, so the pictures were vibrant. Also, the size of the book was right for the story. It is a different size than Map of Days by Robet Hunter, the other Nobrow book I read, and the size of the book seems to depend on what the story and the art require. Thank you to Nobrow Press for knowing how to make a book.The Bad:It moved a bit too quickly. One minute he was a kid, then the next panel he is going to college.There was not enough introduction to the characters, and the events that took place. You were supposed to assume who the characters were to Marx, but it was never really explicitly said.

I really liked this. The history of communism is a fairly recent interest of mine (only a few years worth of personal study) especially that of China and Russia. I haven't read much on Marx yet and found this an intriguing primer on the man. The book is very well written. Usually when I start a book of this sort the author will show themselves to be leftist very clearly early on but Maier never sides with Marx and tells an almost unbiased story. Every thing that Marx thought was abjectly good or just wonderful about his vision of communism is countered by a reasonable thought from his detractors, showing both sides of the story here very well. It is a short book written at about a teen level so does not get too indepth. But Marx's main area of expertise was economics and a lot of time is spent on his ideals that Communism will fix the economy of a Capitalist society and that revolution is the only answer to making that change. I like the art which is done in full colour but black and red are the predominant colours making one think "red" communist. This has let me get my toes wet on the subject and piqued my interest in reading more in this direction.

For many, Karl Marx is the author of The Communist Manifesto and the "devil for decrying Capitalism." His support of a world "free from exploitation, inequality, unemployment" was championed by minorities and those searching for equal rights and justice; however, many disagreed with his revolutionary solutions.This is Maier and Simon's second book, the first being the biography on Sigmund Freud. The illustrated book begins with Marx's birth in 1818 in Trier. Even then, Marx was ahead of his time. Young and incredibly smart, Marx was quick to fight against a capitalist system that seemed to submerge the middle and lower classes in a pool of materialism. Read my full review at reviewscomingatya.blogspot.com.

Well done, very well done - both the text and the cartoonings -

Damaged book. Pages were fine but the cover was dirty and the dented. Since the pages were ok I thought it would be ok for a read.