The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844

The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844 is a nonfiction book by Friedrich Engels, first published in 1845 and his first book. It looks at the industrial working class in Victorian England. Engels originally wrote it in German, drawing on his own observations and on contemporary reports gathered during his stay in Salford and Manchester from 1842 to 1844.

This book suits readers interested in social history, political economy, and the everyday effects of the Industrial Revolution. It is not a narrative book, but a direct, document-based study of labor, housing, and poverty, shaped by close observation and the conditions of the time. Readers who like books that examine society through field notes, reports, and analysis rather than through story will likely connect with it.