The Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels is one of the pivotal books in the history of the left wing. While some of it seems dated now (in particular the sections on the socialist movements that existed at the time) much of it remains extremely relevant to the world we live in today. In particular the description of the dynamic and destructive nature of capitalism, its ability to overcome any barrier in the pursuit of profit. It is also underrated (compared to the preface to "A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy") as an explanation of the basics of historical materialism.

So why only four stars? The translation itself is fine, we open with the more modern "a spectre is haunting Europe" rather than slightly gothic "a frightful hobgoblin" and this sets the tone for a modern-feeling translation despite the Victorian font. The problem is with David Aaronovitch's introduction, which while providing some context I think connects this work too strongly to the history of the subsequent Soviet regimes some 70 years and more later. Aaronovitch draws a direct line from the Communist Manifesto to the Soviet tyranny that I don't think is tenable, dismissing the complexity of Marx's analysis of the historical process in a couple of brief paragraphs. It feels intellectually lazy, something written with polemic in mind rather than in the attempt to critical engage with Marx's and Engel's thinking.

Still, an important work in the development of progressive movements in an accessible translation.