‘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