Eleanor Marx: A Life

In this first biography of Eleanor Marx (1855–98) since Yvonne Kapp's 1976 two-volume Eleanor Marx, Holmes (The Hottentot Venus) begins by declaring the daughter of Karl Marx the "foremother of socialist feminism" and declaring that, "not since Mary Wollstonecraft has any woman made such a profound, progressive contribution to English political thought." While readers may not agree with every point the author makes, one can't help but be carried along by Holmes's explicitly feminist narrative in this engaging and suspense-filled volume documenting the younger Marx's personal and political life. There is never a dull moment as the book moves from her early family life and her education at the feet of Marx and Friedrich Engels; an early career as her father's secretary and researcher at the British Museum; her work as a translator, educator, and advocate for new literature and theatre, and as a socialist agitator and trade union leader; and her intellectual and ultimately tragic romantic partnership with Edward Aveling.