This selection from the major writings of the most influential Marxist thinkers provides access to the sources of one of the most important ideologies of the twentieth century. Included here are statements of classical and contemporary Marxist theory, from Marx himself, through Engels, Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin, to Mao, Marcuse, Guevera and Cabral. Together these texts give a wide view of the Marxist tradition and of the varieties of contemporary Marxism. The editor has provided each excerpt with lists of further reading and with introductions putting the writers in their historical and political contexts.