Books

First edition in Spanish of Deville's summary of Capital, with his introduction, first published in French in 1883 by Flammarion in Paris. The French socialist Gabriel Deville (1854-1940) "is less known than either Guesde or Lafargue, but the role he played in the early diffusion of Marxism in France should not be underestimated" (Llobera, p. 221). In August 1882 he began discussions with Marx about a popularized abridgement of Capital - in his introduction Deville states that Marx himself proposed the idea to him. By August 1883 Engels had received a manuscript, of which he was highly critical. He felt that it had serious defects and argued that Deville's main fault was that "he poses Marx's propositions as absolute, whereas in Marx they hold only under conditions which Deville omits, and hence come out false" (Draper Chronology 84:11). However, Engels's suggested modifications were never implemented. By January 1887 Kautsky was already requesting to oversee a German version of Deville's abridgment, a concept towards which Engels was not supportive. Nevertheless, Deville's summary was translated into many languages, and widely read until very recently. It did much to quicken interest in Marx's works, both in France, its first country of publication, but also across Europe, as evidenced by the present Spanish translation. Small octavo (176 x 113 mm). Rebound in modern burgundy faux morocco, spine lettered and ruled in gilt. Bound without half-title; title leaf and subsequent four leaves expertly reattached using hand-coloured Japanese tissue hinges. Contents somewhat brittle, using two kinds of cheap paper stock, some of the whiter, heavier paper foxed, the other evenly toned; occasional neat ink marginal marks; publisher's paper flaw to fore edges of pp. 17, 193, and 199 resulting in slightly shorter fore-margins, not affecting text. Overall a very good copy of this rare volume. See Rubel 633 note for the original French edition, and Josep R. Llobera, "Durkheim, the Durkheimians and their Collective Misrepresentation of Marx", in Joel S. Kahn & Josep R. Llobera, The Anthropology of Pre-Capitalist Societies, Macmillan, 1981.

"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.