Karl Marx, Capital, first American editions

-------------------------------------------

On March 10, 1887, Friedrich Engels wrote to Laura Lafargue, one of Marx’s daughters: “Die erste Auflage des ‚Kapitals‘, 500 Exemplare, ist bis auf etwa 50 Exemplare verkauft, und die 2. Auflage ist in Vorbereitung. Beinahe die halbe Auflage ist, soweit ich es berechnen kann, nach Amerika gegangen, und die 2. Aufl. wird dort immer noch einen guten Absatz finden, wenn nicht eine Piratenausgabe herausgebracht wird.“ The American agent Julius Bordollo inserted a separate title page in his copies announcing: “The greatest work of the age on political economy. Capital, A crictical analysis of capitalist production, by Karl Marx. Only authorized translation by the life-long friends of the author, SAMUEL MOORE, assisted by EDWARD AVELING, AND EDITED BY FREDERICK ENGELS. In 2 vols., Demy 8vo. Cloth, $700. Sent post-paid, $7.20. JULIUS BORDOLLO, (AMERICAN AGENT,) 104-106 East Fourth Street, NEW YORK.”

In 1889, Swan Sonnenschein changed its American agent and had a stereotyped edition in one volume printed in Scotland with Appleton’s name as co-editor on the title page. Friedrich Engels wrote on February 23, 1889 to Friedrich Adolph Sorge, a member of the First International: “Sonnenschein erklärt auf Befragen, daß er 500 Ex. der wohlfeilen Ausgabe an Appleton verkauft hat.“

Capital, volume I

Appleton edition, 1889

CAPITAL: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF CAPITALIST PRODUCTION BY KARL MARX TRANSLATED FROM THE THIRD GERMAN EDITION, BY SAMUEL MOORE AND EDWARD AVELING AND EDITED BY FREDERICK ENGELS NEW YORK; APPLETON & CO. LONDON: SWAN SONNENSCHEIN & CO. 1889

XXXI, 816 p.

V Contents

IX Editor’s preface, November 5, 1886

XV Author’s prefaces

1 Book I. Capitalist production

364 Vol. II

801 Works and authors quoted in “Capital”

Printed by Aberdeen University Press: John Thomson, and J.F. Thomson, M.A.

Published: 1889

One year later, in 1890, a small left wing publisher, the Humboldt Publishing Company, published the first edition of “Capital” produced in the United States. The Company reprinted the text of the Swan Sonnenschein translation without the permission of Marx’s family, Friedrich Engels or the European publishers. The book was serialized in four double numbers of „The Humboldt Library of Science“, because „book publishers, however, benefited from the cheaper postal rates only if they sold their books as periodicals, which they did.“ (Jason D. Martinek, „Socialism and Print Culture in America, 1897-1920“, London, Pickering & Chatto, 2012, p. 3).

„Von der American Edition of „Capital" kann ich Dir nichts schreiben, da ich sie nie gesehn habe und nicht weiß, was drin steht. Daß die Leute dort uns nachdrucken dürfen, ist bekannt. Daß sie es tun, beweist, daß es eine gute Spekulation ist, und ist erfreulich, obwohl es für die Erben ein Verlust ist. Darauf mußten wir aber rechnen, sobald der Absatz dort bedeutend wurde“, Friedrich Engels wrote to Friedrich Adolph Sorge on February 11, 1891. And he added on June 10, 1891: “Dank für die amerikanische Piraten-Ausgabe. Schlüter hat mir Kurioses darüber geschrieben.” The editor of the “New Yorker Volkszeitung”, Hermann Schlüter, had written on May 11, 1891: „Die Auflage betrug 5000, und dieselbe ist jetzt vergriffen. Mit dieser wunderbar raschen Verbreitung des Buches hat es folgende Bewandtnis. Der Herausgeber ließ ein Zirkular drucken und verschickte dasselbe an alle Bankbeamten der United States. In diesem Zirkular war gesagt, daß das Buch von Marx erschienen, aus welchem man lernen könne, ,how to accumulate capital', und die Geldmenschen, die das Geheimnis der Aufhäufung des Kapitals auch gerne kennen möchten, sandten schleunigst ihre Bestellung an den schlauen Yankee-Herausgeber.”

Bassenge in Berlin auctioned on April 14, 2011 a set of four magazines N° 135-138 dated January to April 1891 (illustration of part four in the catalogue “Socialistica Sammlung Chimen Abramsky”, p. 21). Another set dated January to April 1891 was sold in 2014 on Ebay and then by the Whitmore Rare Books in 2016. But a set of number 135 to 138 in the collections of the Karl Marx Memorial Library Luxembourg is dated from September 1 to October 15, 1890. So Humboldt must have serialized its “Capital” at least twice within three months. The publisher sold the four parts also in one single, undated red hardback volume.

Capital, volume I

Humboldt edition, 1890

PUBLISHED SEMI-MONTHLY DOUBLE NUMBER SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $3.00 A YEAR. No. 135. PRICE 30 CENTS Sept. 1, 1890 THE HUMBOLDT LIBRARY OF SCIENCE CAPITAL BY KARL MARX PART I. NEW YORK THE HUMBOLDT PUBLISHING COMPANY 28 LAFAYETTE PLACE ENTERED AT THE NEW YORK POST OFFICE AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER.

CAPITAL: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF CAPITALIST PRODUCTION. BY KARL MARX. TRANSLATED FROM THE THIRD GERMAN EDITION, BY SAMUEL MOORE AND EDWARD AVELING. AND EDITED BY FREDERICK ENGELS. NEW YORK: THE HUMBOLDT PUBLISHING CO., 28 LAFAYETTE PLACE.

XVIII, p. 1-126, (8) p.

II Contents

VII Editor’s preface, November 5, 1886

X Author’s prefaces

1 Book I. Capitalist production

- Catalogue of Humboldt Library of popular science, Complete sets of the Humboldt Library, The Humboldt series, Twentieth Century A weekly radical magazine, The kingdom of the unselfish

Printed: ?

Published: 1890

Binding: Magazine

Price: 30 cents

PUBLISHED SEMI-MONTHLY DOUBLE NUMBER SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $3.00 A YEAR. No. 136. PRICE 30 CENTS Sept. 15. 1890 THE HUMBOLDT LIBRARY OF SCIENCE CAPITAL BY KARL MARX PART II. NEW YORK THE HUMBOLDT PUBLISHING COMPANY 28 LAFAYETTE PLACE ENTERED AT THE NEW YORK POST OFFICE AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER.

p. 1-127-254, (8) p.

127 “of the product...” (The rate of surplus-value)

- Catalogue of Humboldt Library of popular science, Complete sets of the Humboldt Library, The Humboldt series, Twentieth Century A weekly radical magazine, The kingdom of the unselfish

Printed: ?

Published: 1890

Binding: Magazine

Price: 30 cents

PUBLISHED SEMI-MONTHLY DOUBLE NUMBER SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $3.00 A YEAR. No. 137. PRICE 30 CENTS Oct. 1, 1890 THE HUMBOLDT LIBRARY OF SCIENCE CAPITAL BY KARL MARX PART III. NEW YORK THE HUMBOLDT PUBLISHING COMPANY 28 LAFAYETTE PLACE ENTERED AT THE NEW YORK POST OFFICE AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER.

p. 255-382, (8) p.

255 “that, from the same weight...” (Machinery and modern industry)

- Catalogue of Humboldt Library of popular science, Complete sets of the Humboldt Library, The Humboldt series, Twentieth Century A weekly radical magazine, The kingdom of the unselfish

Printed: ?

Published: 1890

Binding: Magazine

Price: 30 cents

PUBLISHED SEMI-MONTHLY DOUBLE NUMBER SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $3.00 A YEAR. No. 138. PRICE 30 CENTS Oct. 15, 1890 THE HUMBOLDT LIBRARY OF SCIENCE CAPITAL BY KARL MARX PART IV. NEW YORK THE HUMBOLDT PUBLISHING COMPANY 28 LAFAYETTE PLACE ENTERED AT THE NEW YORK POST OFFICE AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER.

p. 383-506, (12) p.

383 “of action independent…” (Conversion of surplus-value)

495 Works and authors quoted in “Capital”

X Author’s prefaces

1 Book I. Capitalist production

- Hypnotism, Catalogue of Humboldt Library of popular science, Complete sets of the Humboldt Library, The Humboldt series, Twentieth Century A weekly radical magazine, The kingdom of the unselfish

Printed: ?

Published: 1890

Binding: Magazine

Price: 30 cents

Bibliography:

--------------

Zweite Marx-Engels-Gesamtausgabe, Abteilung II, Band 8

Zweite Marx-Engels-Gesamtausgabe, Abteilung II, Band 9

Jason D. Martinek, „Socialism and Print Culture in America, 1897-1920“, London, Pickering & Chatto, 2012

From the collections of the Karl Marx Memorial Library Luxembourg

Home