Books

1886. Torino, Unione Tipografico-Editrice, 1886. Royal8vo. Bound uncut and largely unopened with the original printed wrappers in a very nice recent red half calf binding with marbled paper covered boards. Half-title and title-page browned. Published as "Biblioteca dell'Economista", Third Series, volume 9. An unusually fine copy. Il Capitale: 685 pp. [Entire volume: (4), 903, (1) pp.]. First full Italian translation of Marx' landmark work, constituting what is arguably the greatest revolutionary work of the nineteenth century. The work proved immensely influential in both communist and fascist circles. Antonio Gramsci, founding member and one-time leader of the Communist Party of Italy (PCI), based much of his theoretical and practical work on the present translation of Marx' work and Ezra Pound read this Italian translation (which is among the most heavily marked annotated volumes in his personal library) and was horrified by the accounts of the exploitation of labor given by…

"Das Kapital," written by Karl Marx, is a seminal work critiquing the capitalist system's foundations and mechanisms. Published in 1867, this extensive analysis of capitalism delves into its economic processes, the exploitation inherent within, and its eventual contradictions which Marx believed would lead to its downfall. Marx introduces key concepts such as commodity, value, surplus value, and the labor theory of value, arguing that the value of a commodity is determined by the labor required for its production. He criticizes how capitalists profit by exploiting workers, paying them less than the value of their labor while selling the products for their full value. Marx's critique extends to the dynamics of capital accumulation, technological advancements, and their effects on the proletariat, predicting increasing capital centralization and crises stemming from capitalism's internal contradictions. "Das Kapital" covers the circulation and distribution of capital, explaining how surplus value is divided among different classes and sectors, leading to cycles of boom and bust. Despite its influence, "Das Kapital" has faced criticism for its total failure in economic predictions, such as the underestimation of capitalism's adaptability and the overemphasis on the labor theory of value. Critics argue Marx's predictions of escalating class struggle and the proletariat revolution have not materialized as expected, questioning his views on human nature and the efficiency of market mechanisms. Nonetheless, "Das Kapital" remains a pivotal work in economic and political thought, offering a deep, if wrong, critique of capitalism and its socio-economic impacts.