Das Kapital.: Kritik der politischen Oekonomie. Buch I: Der Produktionsprocess des Kapitals. Zweite verbesserte Auflage; [together with:] Buch II: Der Cirkulationsprocess des Kapitals. Herausgeben von Friedrich Engels; [and:] Buch III: Der Gesammtprocess der kapitalist

Hamburg: Otto Meissner,, 1872; 1885; 1894. The foundation of Marxism First editions of volumes II and III, revised second edition of volume I, forming a complete set of Das Kapital, Marx's polemical masterpiece, the culmination of nearly 25 years of research. The most significant and influential analysis of capitalism ever written, Das Kapital became the bible of Marxist movements and governments. The first edition of the first volume was published in 1867. Marx revised the text for the present second edition of 1872, and contributed a new ten-page afterword. Following Marx's death in 1883, the second and third volumes were edited from Marx's manuscripts and seen through the press by Friedrich Engels - the second volume published in 1885, and the third volume (in 2 parts) in 1894. "The history of the twentieth century is Marx's legacy. Stalin, Mao, Che, Castro - the icons and monsters of the modern age have all presented themselves as his heirs. Whether he would recognise them as such is quite another matter... Nevertheless, within one hundred years of his death half the world's population was ruled by governments that professed Marxism to be their guiding faith. His ideas have transformed the study of economics, history, geography, sociology and literature. Not since Jesus Christ has an obscure pauper inspired such global devotion - or been so calamitously misinterpreted." (Francis Wheen, in his introduction to Karl Marx, 1999). Three volumes bound in 4, octavo. Buch I: 210 x 208 mm, contemporary black half cloth, rebacked with original spine laid down, preserving contemporary paper label (chipped with loss), marbled paper sides. Buch II: 207 x 136 mm, near-contemporary black quarter morocco-grain roan, spine lettered in gilt, marbled paper sides. Buch III (in Two vols.): 216 x 135 mm), contemporary brown half morocco, orange and black labels, marbled sides and endpapers. Buch II bound without the terminal imprint leaf, and pp. 155/6 in cancelled state. Light rubbing, some light browning and foxing to contents as usual. Buch I with errata bound at front (with paper repair in gutter, and to facing dedication leaf). Buch II with ownership blindstamp to title with 2 small patches of loss, small chip to fore margin of pp. 271/2. Buch III with contemporary label of "Lewald Karlsruhe" to front pastedowns. A very good set. Rubel 633, 635, 636.