CLR James's Notes on Dialectics

Author John McClendon has written first ever book-length study of CLR James's Notes on Dialectics. This text opens and simultaneously closes the book on James's Notes through an erudite and expansive look at the political, social, and cultural context in which James conducted an unprecedented investigation of Marxism.

In passing over stodgy traditional Marxist writings, McClendon has focused on the stupendous West Indian thinker, C. L. R. James. Having received from James a personal copy of James' treatise, McClendon magnificently dissects and clarifies this research, persuasively arguing that James's Notes should be the first read for all contemporary Marxist scholars.

John McClendon is a rare breed: he's got the uncommon and uncanny ability to talk about complicated (or complicated-sounding) things in an accessible, engaging way. John's powers of explanation are of extraordinary value to the Left — and to political discourse more generally.

This is a remarkable book, and certainly one of the most sophisticated treatments of James I have read. It is thoroughly researched and tightly argued. And it is an unsurpassed tribute to C. L. R. James. . . . In addition to being the only major treatise on what is perhaps James' most significant contribution to Marxist theory, this book also fills a major gap in the literature on contemporary Marxism, most of which has been written by European or North American authors who have ignored the works of James.

John H. McClendon III is Associate Professor of African American Studies and American Cultural Studies at Bates College.