From: Fred Moseley (fmoseley@MTHOLYOKE.EDU)
Date: Tue Jun 29 2004 - 10:26:40 EDT
Mike, thanks for your message. Sorry I forgot the attachment. This time it is attached. Comradely, Fred On Sun, 27 Jun 2004, michael a. lebowitz wrote: > Date: Sun, 27 Jun 2004 10:50:55 -0700 > From: michael a. lebowitz <mlebowit@SFU.CA> > Reply-To: OPE-L <OPE-L@SUS.CSUCHICO.EDU> > To: OPE-L@SUS.CSUCHICO.EDU > Subject: Re: Marx's original manuscript of Volume 3 > > Fred, > This is all fascinating, and I am delighted that you and Regina > have raised these matters on OPE-L. Getting an English-language publisher > certainly would be important. You mentioned that you were attaching your > introduction; I didn't receive that. > in solidarity, > michael > > At 19:30 26/06/2004, you wrote: > >Recent new listmember Regina Roth (welcome, Regina!) mentioned in her > >self-introduction that she and I had co-edited an issue of the > >International Journal of Political Economy on Marx's original manuscript > >of what later became Volume 3 of Capital, written in 1864-65. > > > > > Recently, I wrote some articles on Marx's manuscripts > > > of the 1870s (in: Studies in Marxism) and on the relationship between > > > the author Marx and the editor Engels (in: Rethinking Marxism), and, > > > together with Fred Moseley, I edited an issue of IJPE on "Marx, Engels > > > and the text of volume 3 of _Capital_" (in print) > > > >So I have attached a copy of our introduction to this issue, in case any > >listmembers might be interested. > > > > > >Most of you probably know that Marx's original manuscript of what later > >became Volume 3 was published for the first time in the early 1990s in > >German, as part of the new 150- volume authoritative Marx-Engels > >Gesamtausgabe (MEGA). For the first time, Marxian scholars (who read > >German) have had the opportunity to examine Marx's actual manuscript, and > >compare it to Engels' edited version. Unfortunately, this important > >manuscript has not and will not be included in the English 50-volume > >Marx-Engels Collected Works (MECW), published by International Publishers > >(I think obtaining a publisher for an English translation of this crucial > >volume should be a top priority for English-speaking Marxian scholars). > > > >The forthcoming issue of the IJPE presents four articles that discuss > >Marx's original manuscript, and the differences between Marx's manuscript > >and Engels' edited version. All four articles are written by past or > >present editors of the MEGA. Regina herself is now an MEGA editor. I am > >very glad that she has joined OPEL. > > > > > >My own general conclusion from reading these articles is that, in terms of > >content, the difference between Marx's manuscript and Engels's edited > >version is not that great (with a few exceptions). The main difference is > >that Engels made the manuscript look much more complete and finished than > >it actually was, especially by breaking the manuscript into chapters and > >sections, with titles, etc., especially in Part 3 and most of all in Part > >5 (much of which is little more than a collection of excerpts); and in > >addition adding whole paragraphs and pages and even sections (most of > >which are indicated in the text as Engels' addition, but not all) > > > >One interesting thing that I learned from Regina in writing the > >introduction together is that there are several different versions of > >Chapter 1 of Volume 3. In addition to the 1864 version, there are also 4 > >other versions of the beginning of the chapter (ranging from 2 pages to 8 > >pages long), dating from 1867-68. There is an important conceptual change > >between the 1864 draft and the 1867-68 drafts - more emphasis is placed on > >the concept of COST PRICE in the latter draft. Chapter 1 in the 1864 > >manuscript (and in the previous drafts and outlines of "Volume 3") is > >entitled "Surplus-value and Profit". The 1867-68 versions are entitled > >"Cost Price and Profit." Engels selected a mixture of these different > >drafts, with emphasis on the later drafts, because Marx had emphasized to > >him the concept of cost price in a letter in April 1868. (This letter by > >the way is very helpful for an understanding of Volume 3. It lays out the > >overall logic of the volume, and presents a concise summary of each part) > > > >[A question for Regina: exactly when were the 1867-68 manuscripts > >written? How close were the dates to the date of this important letter of > >30 April 1868? I wonder if these drafts of Chapter 1 were the main > >impetus for Marx's letter? The letter has always seemed to "come out of > >the blue", because I thought Marx was mainly preoccupied during this > >period with the publication of Volume 1 in late 1867. I didn't know that > >Marx was also reworking Chapter 1 of Volume 3 during this period. Regina, > >was Marx also working on other parts of Volume 3 during 1867-68, or only > >Chapter 1?] > > > >I think Marx decided to emphasize the concept of cost price more, because > >he had come to realize more clearly its importance for the determination > >of prices of production (prices of production are equal to cost price + > >average profit). So this is an interesting and important piece of the > >development and evolution of Marx's thinking. > > > >These alternative beginnings are scheduled to be published in the MEGA (in > >German) in 2005. Unfortunately again, these alternative beginnings will > >not be included in the English MECW. Regina and I are trying to figure > >out a way to have these alternative beginnings translated into English and > >published. Unfortunately a third time, Paul Mattick is no longer editor > >of the IJPE, so that outlet is no longer open. If anyone has any > >suggestion, I would very much appreciate hearing from you. > > > > > >Comradely, > >Fred > > --------------------- > Michael A. Lebowitz > Professor Emeritus > Economics Department > Simon Fraser University > Burnaby, B.C., Canada V5A 1S6 > Office Fax: (604) 291-5944 > Home: Phone (604) 689-9510 >
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