Dialectical and Historical Materialism

Stalin's writing is very straight forward and simple, this book truly is the easiest way to understand the subject, so if you're struggling with that, this is the perfect read.

As a sociologist, I was always interested as to how the USSR could morph what Marx considered communalism networked by a shallow, weak, centralized and supposedly representative government into what I would considered an extremest left-wing oligarchy (most fashionably consider it right-wing despite how it was sold and supported by the people that allowed it- so much for cultural relativity and in context social analysis!). If Stalin actually wrote these pieces (or more commonly among dictators farmed it out to a frightened academic ghostwriter) then it could help explain why Marx disassociated himself with much of the Marxist movement toward the end of his life. It is a logically written and well informed book - worth the read if you are into the sociology of politics, philosophy of politics or the history of politics. I'd recommend it, especially at this give-away-price!