The Condition of the Working Class in England - Softcover

Engels, Friedrich

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0141191104 ISBN 13: 9780141191102

Publisher: Penguin Classics, 2009

Synopsis

Written when Engels was only twenty-four, and inspired in particular by his time living amongst the poor in Manchester, this forceful polemic explores the staggering human cost of the Industrial Revolution in Victorian England. Engels paints an unforgettable picture of daily life in the new industrial towns, and for miners and agricultural workers--depicting overcrowded housing, abject poverty, child labour, sexual exploitation, dirt and drunkenness--in a savage indictment of the greed of the bourgeoisie. His fascinating later preface, written for the first English edition of 1892 and included here, brought the story up to date in the light of forty years' further refelection. A masterpiece of committed reporting and an impassioned call to arms, this is one of the great pioneering works of social history.

About this title

Review

"This is a very nicely-produced edition at a price practical for course use. David McClellan's introduction is clear and useful."--J. Boyden, Tulane University "This is a very nicely-produced edition at a price practical for course use. David McClellan's introduction is clear and useful."--J. Boyden, Tulane University "This is a very nicely-produced edition at a price practical for course use. David McClellan's introduction is clear and useful."--J. Boyden, Tulane University "This is a very nicely-produced edition at a price practical for course use. David McClellan's introduction is clear and useful."--J. Boyden, Tulane University

From the Back Cover

'The social war, the war of all against all, is here openly declared'

Written when Engels was only twenty-four, and inspired in particular by his time living amongst the poor in Manchester, this forceful polemic explores the staggering human cost of the Industrial Revolution in Victorian England. Engels paints an unforgettable picture of daily life for workers - depicting overcrowded housing, abject poverty, child labour, sexual exploitation, dirt and drunkenness - in a savage indictment of capitalism's greed and social injustices. His fascinating later preface, written for the first English edition of 1892 and included here, brought the story up to date in the light of forty years' further reflection. A masterpiece of committed reportage and an impassioned call to arms, this is one of the great pioneering works of social history and an economic critique of unfettered markets that still resonates today.

Based on the original translation by Florence Wischnewetzky, this volume is edited by Victor Kiernan, with a new introduction by historian Tristram Hunt discussing Engel's life and the book's position as a defining text of the British industrial experience. Also included are notes, a chronology and an updated further reading.

Edited with notes by Victor Kiernan
With a new introduction by Tristram Hunt

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0141191104
• ISBN 13: 9780141191102
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 336
• Editor: Kiernan Victor