The ancient Greek philosopher Anaximander once wrote that the heavens and the worlds within them began in a "sphere of fire", arising from some unbounded chaos. Some 2,400 years later, Friedrich Engels echoed Anaximander's dialectic: "Everything that comes into being must pass away."

Science, Marxism and the Big Bang discusses some of the great philosophies and scientific discoveries of cosmology - including those of Aristotle, Galileo, Newton, Kant, Hegel, Engels and Einstein. This discussion dispels the misconceptions of Reason in Revolt - the book by Ted Grant and Alan Woods that claims to expound the fundamentals of Marxism - in particular that the Big Bang theory is just another "creation myth".

Engels praised Immanuel Kant's theory of the "origin of all existing celestial bodies". Peter Mason argues that Engels' outlook is compatible with modern theories of our universe.

The great French revolution signalled the end of feudalism in France and laid the basis for modern capitalist society. Yet today the historians of the ruling class try to deny their own heritage. They are petrified of new revolutionary upheavals - this time led by the powerful working class towards the overthrow of capitalism.

The true history of the revolution is still rich for the working class today: on the heroic will of the sans-cullotes to do away with the old order, on the ebbs and the flows of the revolutionary process, on the development of Bonapartism - the forerunner of modern military dictatorships and on the revolutionary tasks in societies where elements of feudalism remain.

This book, first published in 1989, above all unearths the true history of the struggle of the oppressed and draws out vital lessons for the class struggle today.

Read the review 'The Masses Arise: The French revolution and today's struggles' in the Socialist 583

"Using the method of contrasts, we compare their ideas and ours on how best to take the left forward. But our arguments are not directed solely at the SWP and its supporters in the British and international labour movement. There are also organisations and groupings which have a similar approach. This book is a critique of what we believe are wrong methods in general, which in the crucial task of forging a new Marxist force can be a barrier to building a new mass workers' left party in Britain. Our task above all is to seek to educate the new generation of workers and young people who will be moved into action by the great events that impend in Britain and worldwide. Many will investigate the credentials - including the history of all organisations - before engaging with them. A serious examination - which we aim for here - would show that the SWP in its fundamental ideas, its approach and, above all, its method has been found wanting. Unless they change, they can still have a negative effect in the battles to come."

- From the preface

See the review in the Socialist 560

Pamphlet by Leeds Socialist Party containing articles on the Leeds Gasworkers strike 1890, the Manningham Mills strike 1890-1, the Old Dog Strike 1909, the Yeadon lockout 1913 and the Leeds Corporation strike 1913. Includes a foreword by Joel Heyes, Secretary of Leeds TUC

"The past few years have seen a resurgence of the trade union movement, with one of the largest ever trade union organised demonstrations and large public sector strikes, as well as growing unrest in the private sector. The theme of this pamphlet is the upsurges of the union movement in the past, particularly around the textile and gas industries in West Yorkshire."

- From the introduction.

This is the first real account of Militant, its ideas, organisation and the role of figures associated with it. Five previous books have been written about Militant. But this is the only one which gives an authentic account of how Militant played such a prominent role in Liverpool in the 1980's and the successful battle to defeat the Poll Tax.

The momentous events in Liverpool 1983-7 sent shock waves across the country. Hardly a week went by without the city being in the news headlines. Financial crises, a unique house building programme, education reform, the Heysel stadium tragedy, the Sam Bond affair, the expulsion of Derek Hatton, Tony Mulhearn and others from the Labour Party, through to an 18 month court battle which ended in the surcharge and disqualification of 47 Labour councillors - all are covered in Liverpool-A City That Dared to Fight. Not only a commentary, this book is a penetrating political analysis of the growth and development of Marxism in Britain, and particularly the role of Militant in Liverpool.

Controversy over the government's Human Fertilisation and Emryology Act has reopened the debate on the control of fertility.

Tory right-wingers and 'pro-life' groups intervened with traditional views on women's role and the family. Whose Choice? answers the Right's ideological crusade and defends women's reproductive rights.

Cuts are undermining the NHS, while private health firms exploit the demand for fertility treatment. Whose Choice? outlines socialist policies for better NHS facilities.

Vivian Seal recounts the struggle of working-class women for health care, contraception, the right to abortion, and fertility treatment.

This book examines the likely effects of the Act, clearly explaining the new reproductive technologies. It shows that fertility control raises vital political issues which cannot be left to the Tories, the medical hierarchy, or big business.

A collection of the key writings of Ted Grant, one of the founders of the Militant - includes Will There Be a Slump?, The Chinese Revolution and Against the Theory of State Capitalism amongst others.

As Eastern European monoliths crumble, all pre-conceptions must be re-evaluated. Leon Trotsky, fighting the bureaucracy, predicted a new revolution to restore workers' democracy. Fifty years after his assassination, is this being borne out? What are the perspectives for genuine socialism in the USSR?

Elizabeth Clarke and Richard Peters visited the Soviet Union in October/November 1989. Their fascinating account tells of the feelings of the ordinary Russian worker, the independent trade unions, striking miners, daily life in the streets, shortages and queues. Their interviews and discussions provide a penetrating insight into the mood of the Russian people and an invaluable key to understanding the momentous events now unfolding.

What happened to the Communist International established in the aftermath of the Russian revolution? Written in June 1943, this pamphlet is especially relevant today in light of the deepening crisis of capitalism internationally and the sharpening of the splits in many Communist Parties internationally, between old style pro-Moscow Stalinists and the "Eurocommunists".

Ted Grant's original article is republished together with a new introduction by Alan Woods, and the article "The Evolution of the Comintern" written by one of Trotsky's collaborators in 1936.