Books

First edition of the Communist Manifesto, the founding document of communism, extremely rare, this newly discovered example becoming only the 28th copy known worldwide, and one of a mere handful remaining in private ownership. The copy is in very desirable condition in a contemporary binding, the lettering of which implies links to the early communist movement. "In vain will specimens of the first edition of the 'Manifesto' be sought in the world's great libraries. Neither the Library of Congress in Washington nor the Lenin Library in Moscow, neither the British Museum in London nor the Bibliothèque nationale in Paris, not the Vatican's Bibliotheca Apostolica nor Berlin's Staatsbibliothek own a copy. All that is left is held by specialist historical libraries or archives" (Kuczynski, translated, p. 78). Kuczynski's census in 1995 identified 26 copies, to which can be added a further copy sold at auction in Hamburg in 2001, and now this. Prior to this copy, only four examples have passed through the international postwar book trade: that formerly in the collection of Salman Schocken (Kuczynski B6c: Hauswedell 211 [1976], lot 574 = Christie's Paris, 2008, lot 12); that of Eduard Wiss (B4-6b: Sotheby's 1986, lot 159 = Christie's 1991, lot 314); the Rehdiger copy (B5b: Sotheby's 2006, lot 93); and the aforementioned copy sold in Hamburg (Hauswedell 356 [2001], lot 428). Excepting the Schocken copy, which was acquired by the British Library, none of these recently surfaced specimens went to institutional collections. Neither the great Karl Marx exhibition held in 2018 at the National Museum of China to mark the 200th anniversary of Marx's birth, nor the National Library of China's 2021 exhibition, dedicated specifically to the Communist Manifesto and co-hosted by the Chinese Communist Party's Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, were able to source a copy, although the magnificent exhibition showed 306 versions of the book in 55 languages. Kuczynski identifies three issues and seven variants - this copy is the first issue, and variant B4-6. Traces of the original green wrapper are evident in the gutter of the title page. Provenance: from the library of the Elberfeld district court councillor and justice Peter Kremer, with his ownership inscription to the front free endpaper dated 14 March 1863. Tantalizingly, the spine title reads "Marx, Manif[est] und Katech[ismus]": the work was originally envisaged as a catechism entitled "Communist Confession of Faith" until November 1847, when Engels suggested it be renamed a manifesto. The "Katech[ismus]" on the spine perhaps suggests the original owner was a member of the Communist League (Bund der Kommunisten) who remembered the genesis of the work and its original title. READ MORE Octavo (204 x 136 mm), 23 pages. Contemporary half cloth, spine ruled and lettered in gilt, contents bulked with further 20 blank leaves, pink silk ribbon. Housed in a red quarter morocco solander box by the Chelsea Bindery. Binding in fine condition, contents lightly toned, faint shadow of offsetting from old insert to title and to pp. 13-16, a little closely trimmed at foot with the last line of p. 7 and a couple of letters of p. 8 slightly shaved (still legible), one word slightly abraded to p. 14 and transposed to facing page, pp. 19/20 with minor paper flaw to outer edge slightly into text without loss. Altogether in excellent condition. Andréas 1; Die Erstdrucke der Werke von Marx und Engels, p. 14; Kuczynski 6.3; Printing and the Mind of Man 326; Rubel 70.

"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.