Ellen Meiksins Wood is a leading contemporary political theorist who has been described as the founder, together with Robert Brenner, of Political Marxism,' a distinct version of historical materialism which has inspired a research program that spans a number of academic disciplines. Organized thematically, this Reader provides an overview of her original interpretations of capitalism, and many different topics.
Covering Wood's scholarship in various fields, this reader serves as an introduction to one of the most important contemporary Marxists.
"The writing is so supple and accessible, and the argument so persuasive, it's like watching a cloudy mixture of ideas being turned into a clear solution."
-Adrienne Rich, on The Origins of Capitalism
"Few historians of comparative political thought are in the same league as Ellen Wood, who surveys the whole sweep of ancient and medieval thinkers with equal magisterial brilliance of insight."
-Professor Paul Cartledge, University of Cambridge
"Meiksins Wood is a rare breed - an academic with the soul of a storyteller."
-Morning Star
"Immensely impressive, bold and erudite ... Meiksins Wood's conclusions are undeniably nuanced, challenging and important."
-Times Higher Education Supplement
