Penguin Books Australia

'Beautifully written, consistently interesting, intensely enjoyable'  John Gray, Independent

Friedrich Engels was a Victorian cotton magnate, a raffish, high-living, fox-hunting gentleman who enjoyed lobster, champagne and women. Yet he was also a political revolutionary, who wrote passionately about the lives of the poor in England and, with Karl Marx, created The Communist Manifesto, inspiring a global movement – and sacrificing his own ambitions to support his friend.

This hugely enjoyable biography reveals a man of contradiction, conviction and exuberance, whose ideas are now resonating once again.

'His excellent, lively biography … portrays Engels as not merely Marx's right-hand man but an important political philosopher in his own right'  Tony Barber, Financial Times

'Hunt brings Engels out from under Marx's shadow'  Roy Hattersley, Observer

'An excellent book … The partner who willingly played second fiddle to capitalism's Jeremiah receives his due'  Robert Service, Sunday Times

'Splendid, gripping … witty, humane and sharp-eyed … a delightful book'  Christopher Clark, Standpoint