Neil Davidson explores classic themes in historical materialism and Marxism as he explains concepts such as the moments of transition from the dominance of one mode of production to another (industrialisation), the process of social revolution which has always accompanied these transitions (unionisation) and the problem of nationalism, both as a theoretical challenge to Marxism's capacity for historical explanation and as a practical obstacle to socialist consciousness. Holding Fast to an Image of the Past is a fresh take on the history of Marxism.