Product Description

A classic of early modernism, Capital combines vivid historical detail with economic analysis to produce a bitter denunciation of mid-Victorian capitalist society. It has also proved to be the most influential work in social science in the twentieth century; Marx did for social science what Darwin had done for biology. Millions of readers this century have treated Capital as a sacred text, subjecting it to as many different interpretations as the bible itself. No mere work of dry economics, Marx's great work depicts the unfolding of industrial capitalism as a tragic drama - with a message which has lost none of its relevance today. This is the only abridged edition to take account of the whole of Capital. It offers virtually all of Volume 1, which Marx himself published in 1867, excerpts from a new translation of `The Result of the Immediate Process of Production', and a selection of key chapters from Volume 3, which Engels published in 1895.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14024 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-17
• Format: Abridged
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 544 pages

Customer Reviews

Classic doesn't really do it justice
Much has obviously been said of this work! Humanist-Marxists say it is too mechanistic whilst analytic Marxists try to ignore the Dickensian passages which describe working conditions. In truth this book, in true Marxian style is the 'dialectical' synthesis of basically all that went before. Marx forswears many of the grinding debates with other intellectuals and revolutionaries of the time in favour of a 'capitalism for dummies style'. Your hand is held as you progress from simple 'laws', each of which is taken to the limit of its logic before the next idea is broached.

In fact what is striking is how pertinent this book is even today. Granted things have moved on, and it is no longer 'grim up north' but even a quick consideration makes one realise how our service-industry-fueled economy still holds to most of the same processes as Marx noted all those years ago. Beaudrillard claimed Marx was superseded because consumption has now trumped production, but a read of Capital and a bit of thought soon puts that idea to rest.

It is worth ignoring the suggestions that The German Ideology is a good introduction to Marx, or that Capital is some advanced monolith. It is large, but completely readable; just as readable as Manifesto, only longer. Despite spawning abstruse French theorists, Russian and Chinese revolutions and analysis second only in quantity to the Bible there is nothing to be intimidated about.

Still valid
Tried reading this when I was an idealistic young socialist in the 60's. Found it very difficult then so almost a lifetime later I read it again but this time going for the abridged version.
Still not easy going for a prol like me and should really be read when you are wide awake, not late at night in bed. Many book dicussion groups use Karl's classic as a study topic so that might be one avenue to explore if your economics and Marxism are not up to speed.
Second time around made a whole lot more sense, but in my case he is preaching to the already converted. In light of the recent/current capitalist financial crisis the bearded one does forecast and put many things into a new perspective, enlightening many would claim!
Read it, you might learn something and it might just change your life?

Straight to the point, a master piece
It tells you what you need to know in the right order. its simple but yet shows you the complicity of economics. Truly brilliant, anyone interested in politics, economics or even a good read, this is a best buy.