Books

1927. Tokyo, Kaizosha, 1927-1928. Small4to. 5 volumes all in publisher's original full red cloth with gilt lettering to spine, all five volumes house the original slipcases. Free end-papers browned and only very light sporadic brownspots throughout. A very fine and clean copy. Rare first complete Japanese translation of Marx's 'Das Kapital'. In response to the Russian October Revolution young Marxists produced in rapid succession partial translations of Marx's works and secondary accounts of the same. Japanese translations of Marx's works were comparatively late compared to those in Europe. Japanse translations, however, did exercise a great influence in Asia and especially in China where several of the early translations were made from the Japanese. "Similarly, Takabatake Motoyuki, the first to produce a complete Japanese translation of the three volumes of 'Capital', created a system of Marxist national socialism. Asserting the "Marxism was originally statism", Takabatake…

"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.