Resources to help get through Capital

[International_Solidarity]

I am attempting to get through Marx's Capital. I have David Harvey's A Companion to Marx's Capital and I find it extremely helpful. So helpful that I am wondering if there is anything similar that someone would recommend. Harvey's work helps me to see many things in the text that I missed before, and if there were similar works like this I'm sure they would heighten my understanding even more, or at least bring in a different perspective.
Do any of you recommend anything?

[Brutus]

A beginners guide to Marx's Das Kapital helped me.

[jookyle]

There is no point in reading Das Kapital if you have not read and gained an understanding of the basic texts of liberalist economics, such as Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith. It's hard to see how one is going to understand a technical critique of capitalism if one does not fully understand capitalism and the classical economists are who to read as they're propositions of capitalism where the ones under direct scrutiny in Das Kapital. You're not going to fair in a debate or discussion defending Marxism if you have a cheat sheet knowledge of Das Kapital while the other person is fully studied in liberalism.

[International_Solidarity]

There is no point in reading Das Kapital if you have not read and gained an understanding of the basic texts of liberalist economics, such as Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith. It's hard to see how one is going to understand a technical critique of capitalism if one does not fully understand capitalism and the classical economists are who to read as they're propositions of capitalism where the ones under direct scrutiny in Das Kapital. You're not going to fair in a debate or discussion defending Marxism if you have a cheat sheet knowledge of Das Kapital while the other person is fully studied in liberalism.

Oh well, only my first run-through of it. Better than not reading it I suppose. Plus I can always read it again. Although your criticism is noted. Since I'm already immersed in CapitalI will finish it and then read Wealth of Nations as well. Although I personally would argue that I have gained a lot so-far from my reading of Capital. I'll definitely come back to it again.

[#FF0000]

I've heard a lot of praise from a lot of folks (folks who I think know better than I re: almost everything) for An Introduction To The Three Volumes of Karl Marx's Capital by Michael Heinrich./

[International_Solidarity]

A beginners guide to Marx's Das Kapital helped me.

Thank you! I will look into it. :)

[International_Solidarity]

I've heard a lot of praise from a lot of folks (folks who I think know better than I re: almost everything) for An Introduction To The Three Volumes of Karl Marx's Capital by Michael Heinrich./

Wow! That looks really good, thank you!

[ed miliband]

I've heard a lot of praise from a lot of folks (folks who I think know better than I re: almost everything) for An Introduction To The Three Volumes of Karl Marx's Capital by Michael Heinrich./

yes, this. the translation from german was only published last year, but i hope heinrich's book eclipses harvey's because it is excellent.

[Zanthorus]

I've heard a lot of praise from a lot of folks (folks who I think know better than I re: almost everything) for An Introduction To The Three Volumes of Karl Marx's Capital by Michael Heinrich./

I've heard a lot of criticism from a lot of folks (Folks who I think know better than I with regards to almost everything) of Heinrich's book. That's the trouble with these things see, everyone wants to peddle the introduction and analysis that suits their own party line.

The real resources you will need to get through Capital:

A pair of working eyes, some reading glasses if you have problems in that department.

A pair of working hands to flick through the text, or an assistant if again you are disabled and lacking in those facilities.

A working knowledge of the language the version you are reading happens to be in.

If all that is in place you should be able to attempt a read through of Capital. You can also supplement the text with 'A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1859/critique-pol-economy/index.htm)' which is basically the first draft of the first three chapters with a lot more historical material and critique of the theories of prior political economists sandwiched in between the meat if historical context is what you're looking for. There is, finally, Marx's more succinct summary of some of the contents of chapter one in 'The Value Form (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1867-c1/appendix.htm)'.

[#FF0000]

I've heard a lot of criticism from a lot of folks (Folks who I think know better than I with regards to almost everything) of Heinrich's book. That's the trouble with these things see, everyone wants to peddle the introduction and analysis that suits their own party line.

Huh. What "party line" does Heinrich represent?

[bad ideas actualised by alcohol]

Zanthorus, could you enlighten us with the specific criticism of that work?

[Dave B]

The best beginners guide to capital is the first one which was begun with the encouragement of Marx in 1881 and was widely endorsed at the time and later by the likes of Engels and Lenin etc.

http://www.marxists.org/archive/deville/1883/peoples-marx/index.htm

[Zanthorus]

Huh. What "party line" does Heinrich represent?

The one where every subsequent distortion which Heinrich believes later authors have interpolated into Marx's original texts were made up by Engels, and the one where crisis theory is actually an interpolation and not a thing in Marx's text.

[bad ideas actualised by alcohol]

The one where every subsequent distortion which Heinrich believes later authors have interpolated into Marx's original texts were made up by Engels, and the one where crisis theory is actually an interpolation and not a thing in Marx's text.

Well, usually to have a party-line you must, well, have a party.
Party line=/=things you disagree with

[The Feral Underclass]

David Harvey has produced 13 lectures to accompany a reading of Capital. They are all on video and available on his website. They are incredibly helpful/useful.

Reading Marx's Capital Volume 1 (http://davidharvey.org/reading-capital/)

[SonofRage]

Outline of Marx's Capital Volume I by Raya Dunayevskaya (Freddie Forest) 1979
Outline of Marx’s Capital Volume I
https://www.marxists.org/archive/dunayevskaya/works/1979/outline-capital/index.htm

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta