C.L.R. James was a leading figure in the independence movement in the West Indies and the black and working-class movements in both Britain and the US. As a major contributor to Marxist and revolutionary theory, his project was to discover, document and elaborate the aspects of working-class activity that constitute the revolution in today's world. In this essential volume in the study of James' work, Noel Ignatiev provides an extensive introduction to James' life and thought, before presenting two critical works which illustrate the breadth and depth of his work.