A spectre, haunting / China Miéville on the Communist manifesto.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 229-282) and index.

On the Manifesto and the Manifesto form -- The Communist Manifesto in its time -- An outline of the Manifesto -- Evaluating the Manifesto -- Criticisms of the Manifesto -- The Communist Manifesto today -- Afterword -- a communist catchetism -- Appendix A: Manifesto of the Communist Party, 1848 -- Appendix B: Preface to the 1872 German edition -- Appendix C: Preface to the 1882 Russian edition -- Appendix D: Preface to the 1883 German edition -- Appendix E: Preface to the 1888 English edition.

This book presents a "new introduction to the Communist Manifesto [that] offers both a critical appraisal and a spirited defense of the modern world's most influential political document. Few written works can so confidently claim to have shaped the course of history as Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels's Manifesto of the Communist Party. Since first rattling the gates of the ruling order in 1848, this incendiary pamphlet has never ceased providing fuel for the fire in the hearts of those who dream of a better world. Nor has it stopped haunting the nightmares of those who sit atop the vastly unequal social system it condemns. Miéville provides readers with a guide to understanding the Manifesto and the many specters it has conjured. Through his unique and unorthodox reading, Miéville offers a spirited defense of the enduring relevance of Marx and Engels' ideas." --publisher's website.