From: Asfilho@AOL.COM
Date: Wed Nov 19 2003 - 09:56:32 EST
Many thanks to Jerry for his question about the differences between the 3rd and the (forthcoming by xmas) 4th edition of "Marx's Capital". The book has been completely revamped and thoroughly rewritten. The 3rd ed (published in 1989) had less than 34k words. The 4th ed is nearly 50k words long, which is still short (thus making the book relatively cheap) but quite a lot longer than it used to be. We have attempted to make the entire text available to the target public, which is undergraduate students in the social scientists (not necessarily in economics), and non-university activists. Exceptionally difficult sections included in the 3rd ed. were either dropped or modified entirely, and new sections were added on (for example) Marx's method, fetishism, competition, machinery, social reproduction and current topics (see table of contents below). Each chapter now includes a list of "issues and further readings" which readers might want to use in order to study particular topics in greater depth. There is also reference to websites including some of Marx's works. I must say I am quite pleased with it. There are of course outstanding introductions to Capital around, for example those by Duncan Foley, David Harvey and John Weeks. I like all of them, and recommend them to my students. The advantages of the new edition of Marx's Capital are that it is shorter and considerably simpler than these books; moreover - as far as I know - Foley's and Weeks's are unfortunately currently out of print. I would be happy to email sample chapters to listmembers, please email me on my home address (above) - please not email the list. alfredo. ****************************************************** TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements Preface to the Fourth Edition 1 - History and Method Marx's Philosophy Method Marx's Economics Issues and Further Reading 2 - Commodity Production The Labour Theory of Value Labour and Labour-Power The Fetishism of Commodities Issues and Further Reading 3 - Capital and Exploitation Exchange Capital Surplus Value and Exploitation Absolute and Relative Surplus Value Machinery and Technical Change Productive and Unproductive Labour Issues and Further Reading 4 - The Circuit of Industrial Capital The Money Circuit of Capital The Circuit as a Whole Issues and Further Reading 5 - Economic Reproduction Simple Reproduction Expanded Reproduction Social Reproduction Issues and Further Reading 6 - Accumulation of Capital Primitive Accumulation The Development of Capitalist Production Competition and Capital Accumulation Issues and Further Reading 7 - Capitalism and Crisis Marx's Theory of Accumulation and Crisis Possibilities of Crisis Accumulation, Crisis, and the Development of the Proletariat Issues and Further Reading 8 - The Compositions of Capital The Technical Composition of Capital The Organic and Value Compositions Issues and Further Reading 9 - The Falling Rate of Profit Summary of the Argument The Law as Such and the Counteracting Tendencies The Internal Contradictions of the Law The Empirical Implications of the Law LTRPF and Crisis Theory A Response to Okishio Issues and Further Reading 10 - The Transformation Problem From Values to Prices of Production Marx's Transformation and Its Critics Issues and Further Reading 11 - Merchant's Capital Marx's Category of Merchant's Capital Modified Prices of Production Merchant's Capital at a More Complex Level Issues and Further Reading 12 - Banking Capital and the Theory of Interest Interest-Bearing Capital Money Capital and the Financial System Interest as an Economic Category Issues and Further Reading 13 - Marx's Theory of Agricultural Rent Differential Rent 1 Differential Rent 2 Absolute Rent Issues and Further Reading 14 - Conclusion: Marxism and the Twenty-First Century Class The State and Globalisation Capital's Environment Socialism Issues and Further Reading References Index
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