Few authors have exercised such a profound impact on the development of the modern world as Karl Marx (1818-1883). Born in Trier to a middle-class Jewish family, by the time of his death in London in 1883, Marx had gained an increasing international reputation.

Central to this was his book Das Kapital, better known to English speakers simply as Capital. The first volume of Capital was published in Paris in 1867. This was the only volume published during Marx's lifetime and the only one that came directly from his hand. The second volume, published in 1884, was based on notes left by Marx but was written by his friend and collaborator, Friedrich Engels (1820-1895).

Readers from the 19th century to the present day have been mesmerized by the undeniable power and urgent significance of this classic work of world literature. Marx's critique of the capitalist system is filled with major themes: the theory of ‘surplus value’, the discourse on the exploitation of the working class, and the prediction of class conflict on a large scale. Marx wrote with a purpose. As he famously put it, 'Philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways, the point is to change it.'

Pages: 1168, Dimensions: 12.9x12.9cm