This collection of observations, opinions and statistics of Mr. Ulyanov certainly isn't what I expected. Typically such texts are filled to the brim with rhetorical catch-phrases, belligerent ranting towards the bourgeoisie and the wealthy classes, and little else. Here, the cases for Lenin's ideas are very strong, and he later used this to an advantage. Not to mention the way he strung his ideas together; Lenin was perhaps the most intellectual and charismatic of all the Soviet leaders, which is why his image is idealized so often in media. You see him on T-shirt and posters, something he never thought he'd ever end up as; then again he probably never assumed that his body would be stuffed and put on display for 80 years..
From Amazon.com
a good basic introduction
This is a fine introduction to the thinking of one of the few people in the world who really influenced the tide of history. Along with Leon Trotsky and the Bolshevik Party, Lenin helped establish the first state that was ruled by and for the working class. What went wrong with the revolution is best dealt with by reading Trotsky.