Das Kapital on Amazon

[Belleraphone]

Hey all, I got an Amazon account with money on it for Christmas and I was going to order Das Kapital, but all of them seem to be abridged. Can anyone link me to an unabridged version (not a kindle?)

[#FF0000]

Here's one. (http://www.amazon.com/Capital-Critique-Political-Economy-Classics/dp/0140445684)

Of course, that's only Volume 1. I suspect the "abridged" editions you're seeing include all of vol. 1, with bits and pieces of 2 and 3.

But yeah.

Volume 1, right there.

[Leftie]

The penguin version is the one I've got and it's pretty good.

[RedGrunt]

http://www.amazon.com/Capital-Critique-Political-Economy-Classics/dp/0140445684/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1325720518&sr=8-2

I just bought this one, and received it today actually, and nowhere do I see that it's abridged, and the amazon description puts forward that it was editted by Marx;


"Capital, one of Marx's major and most influential works, was the product of thirty years close study of the capitalist mode of production in England, the most advanced industrial society of his day. This new translation of Volume One, the only volume to be completed and edited by Marx himself, avoids some of the mistakes that have marred earlier versions and seeks to do justice to the literary qualities of the work. The introduction is by Ernest Mandel, author of Late Capitalism, one of the only comprehensive attempts to develop the theoretical legacy of Capital. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/039472657x/ref=dp_proddesc_1?ie=UTF8&n=283155) edition."

It only notes the translator and that the introduction is by Mandel.

Hope this helps.

[Belleraphone]

Here's one. (http://www.amazon.com/Capital-Critique-Political-Economy-Classics/dp/0140445684)

Of course, that's only Volume 1. I suspect the "abridged" editions you're seeing include all of vol. 1, with bits and pieces of 2 and 3.

But yeah.

Volume 1, right there.

Hmm, so there's no unabridged version with all 3 of them?

And where would I order Volumes 2 and 3? Also are these volumes worth reading since Engels prepared them?

Apparently the abridged versions also have anti-marxist propaganda in his own books. One econ student (who admitted he was conservative) was complaining about how he wasted his money on this edition because it was abridged and the author added tons of cliff notes criticizing Marx when really he just needed a normal copy for his econ class.

[Susurrus]

2
http://www.amazon.com/Capital-Critique-Political-Economy-Classics/dp/0140445692/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b

3
http://www.amazon.com/Capital-Critique-Political-Economy-Classics/dp/0140445706/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_c

[#FF0000]

Hmm, so there's no unabridged version with all 3 of them?

No good ones that I'm aware of. Volume 1 is plenty in its own right, though. Just got for that and pick up the other ones later.

[RedGrunt]

Seriously, V1 will keep you busy enough. lol

Though I can see the appeal of getting them all at once - but all in the same book would be crazy if the following volumes are as large, or a sizable proportion, or the first.

[Belleraphone]

I see. So can I read Volume 1 without reading the other two volumes and still have a good understanding? Are these 2 other volumes good, apparently they weren't written by Marx.

[Rooster]

I suspect the "abridged" editions you're seeing include all of vol. 1, with bits and pieces of 2 and 3.

The most common unabridged one is the Oxford World's Classic one. It contains a little of volume, which makes up most of the book, and bits from vol. 2 and 3.


http://www.amazon.com/Capital-Critique-Political-Economy-Classics/dp/0140445684/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1325720518&sr=8-2

I just bought this one


This is the full volume and is the standard text which most academics use. Both of them have slightly different translations. The abridged version starts of with:


The wealth of those societies in which the capitalist mode of production prevails, presents itself as 'an immense accumulation of commodities'...

Where as the other version starts of with:


The wealth of those societies in which the capitalist mode of production prevails appears as 'an immense collection of commodities'...

I think the full penguin version probably gives a better translation.

[Rooster]

I see. So can I read Volume 1 without reading the other two volumes and still have a good understanding? Are these 2 other volumes good, apparently they weren't written by Marx.

Volume 1 was the only volume that Marx saw published. The rest were pieced together by Engels from Marx's notes. That's not to say that they're not worth reading. There's also a bunch of other stuff usually called Volume 4. You're better off getting volume 1 if you want a complete picture. It'll probably work out about the same price anyway.


Hmm, so there's no unabridged version with all 3 of them?

As far as I know, there is none in print at the moment in the English language. You may be able to get a second hand collected works though, but I doubt it.


And where would I order Volumes 2 and 3?Penguin also publishes these.


Apparently the abridged versions also have anti-marxist propaganda in his own books. One econ student (who admitted he was conservative) was complaining about how he wasted his money on this edition because it was abridged and the author added tons of cliff notes criticizing Marx when really he just needed a normal copy for his econ class.

I've never came across this. It would be interesting if you gave a link to the publication that you were talking about.

[Hit The North]

They were written by Marx, but compiled from his notes by Engels. And yes they are worth reading, but before you put your hand in your pocket you can read them unabridged and online:

Here (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/cw/volume36/index.htm)

and

Here (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/cw/volume37/index.htm)

Btw, it is worth restating how close a collaborator Engels was with Marx throughout his intellectual career and especially during the writing of Capital, when they corresponded frequently. Engels is unique in that he was a thinker that Marx never publicly disagreed with. Marx had many collaborators and comrades during his life and he broke with all of them - except Engels.

[Rooster]

but all in the same book would be crazy if the following volumes are as large, or a sizable proportion, or the first.

My wife has one with all three volumes in it (in Italian), it's fucking massive. The paper in it is like bible paper.

[A Revolutionary Tool]

My wife has one with all three volumes in it (in Italian), it's fucking massive. The paper in it is like bible paper.
As it should be...

[o well this is ok I guess]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say nearly everyone here has penguin for their english copy.

[svenne]

Btw, it is worth restating how close a collaborator Engels was with Marx throughout his intellectual career and especially during the writing of Capital, when they corresponded frequently. Engels is unique in that he was a thinker that Marx never publicly disagreed with. Marx had many collaborators and comrades during his life and he broke with all of them - except Engels.

Doesn't mean they're the same person. Really, there surely is some kind of difference between Marx and Engels - the question is how big. But yeah, it's propably not going to be a problem to be thought about until you've read all three parts. I'm also pretty sure they've put out Marx' own non-finished version of the manuscript in the collected works/MEGA/whatever, but i guess they might be a pain in the ass to find?

The aforementioned fourth volume is propably the Theories of Surplus-value, found here: http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1863/theories-surplus-value/index.htm. It's not the fourth part of capital, but written in the same time as some of Marx' manuscripts, which later became the three volumes of Capital. Propably a good read. I've just got an abridged version in swedish.

[A Revolutionary Tool]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say nearly everyone here has penguin for their english copy.
I feel so left out, mine is published by "International Publishers":
http://www.amazon.com/Capital-Critical-Capitalist-Production-Paperbacks/dp/0717806219/ref=sr_1_32?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325791711&sr=1-32

[RedGrunt]

I spent more on the Penguin than I would've on that one.. (used)

[A Revolutionary Tool]

I wonder what the difference is, my version seems pretty legit to me...