Das Kapital [Paperback]

Karl Marx (Author), Friedrich Engels (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1987

This careful and concise abridgement makes Marx readable and emphasizes the political and philosophical aspects of his most famous work.

Product Details

• Paperback: 356 pages
• Publisher: Regnery Gateway (1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895269317
• ISBN-13: 978-0895269317
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,574,477 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

84 of 90 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Should not be abridged., January 14, 2001

By 

C. E. R. Mendonça "Carlos Eduardo Rebello de ... (Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Das Kapital, Gateway Edition (Skeptical Reader) (Paperback)

I began reading "Capital" in 1982, and having begun from scratch to read Book One, with the famous Hegelian section on the nature of the commodity as the standard form of social wealth in capitalism - a section skipped by most Anglo-Saxon abridgers, who tend to treat Marx as only a "post-Ricardian", in Samuelson's (in)famous dictum - I should say that I fear any kind of abridgment done to this work.In my view, all abridgments tend to create a more palatable view of the work abridged, therefore skipping the most intersting and controversial passages. Better to read an abridgment than forswearing reading it altogether, but I would strongly recommend anyone interested in Marx to do as I've done and tackle the Penguin complete ed., not forgetting to begin with the huge and superb introductory essay by Ernest Mandel. It won't hurt you, as it will allow one to form his/her personal view. It may be somekind of snobbery from my part, given that I read such a difficult work in a translation not to my mother-language and aided by a lenghty commentary, but after so many years, I still think it paid.

37 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Horrible edition, February 28, 2007

By 

Stephen J. Weierman (NYC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Das Kapital, Gateway Edition (Skeptical Reader) (Paperback)

The Gateway Edition of Capital is a great example right-wing capitalist economists distorting Marx for their own purposes. The introduction has a pro-capitalist bias, and substantial portions of the work have been cut out from this edition.

If you want to read Capital, Volume I, get the Penguin or Vintage edition, which is unabridged and has extensive footnotes.

66 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars still many good points, June 28, 2000

By 

O. B. Makhubela (South Africa) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Das Kapital, Gateway Edition (Skeptical Reader) (Paperback)

As a student in Economics, I always engage in comparative analysis of Economics. Marxian Economics is generally presented as an early critique of classial economy, and a "difficult" one too. As to difficulty, it is not that unconscionably incomprehensible! There are many apsects of Marxian Economics that make a lot of sense (to me). True, Marx is most likely to be appealing to workers and below subsistence income earners, just as much as classical and neoclasscial economics is most likely to appeal to capital owners and free "marketeers". Not to forget Keynes who will garner support from those who prefer reasonable state intervention! So every school of thought has its own target and appeal. In this book, you will find basic concepts of labour theory of value (what determines the value of a commodity); monetary theory (the evolution of money); the Theory of Surplus Value (what is profit and how does it come about - to Marx, profit represents that portion of icome/value "improperly" appropriated by capital owners instead of accruing to workers. Since workers are the sole producers of goods from scratch to end, they should benefit from all income, or at least from most of it, as per Marxian argument); and lastly, the mechanism of production. Trust me, if you read Marxism with an open mind (and not with a bias attitude of it being revolutionary, inefficient, dictatorial and a threat), you will realize it has a very interesting, unique and relatively realistic method of explaning inequality and exploitation generally! Relative poverty does not exist exclusively in poor or so called "third-world" countries, even in UK, for example, there are relatively poor people (who for example cannot afford private schooling), despite its strong economy. As much as Communism/Socilaism is history, the ideas are still alive and very much interesting! Read it to enhance your understanding of this renowned work by Karl Marx!