"The Automatic Fetish" examines Marx's analysis of capital, step-by-step, through materials collected posthumously as the third volume of "Capital". By identifying the critique of value as the central axis of the entire work, Beverley Best develops a theory of movement through which the machinery of capital produces social forms of appearance as the inversion of its internal functional mechanisms. Neither a return to basics nor a new reconstruction, "The Automatic Fetish" avoids novelty to show once again that Marx rewards careful study.
Important references include: "If I had to choose a book that would present the relevance of Marx's critique of political economy to the humanities, this may very well be it" - Colleen Lye, co-editor of "After Marx".
"The contribution of 'The Automatic Fetish' is hard to overstate" - Nicholas Brown, author of "Autonomy".
"It will make a significant contribution to the broader field of materialist theory" - Joshua Clover, author of "Riot. Strike. Riot".
"In Best's hands, 'Capital' becomes not only exciting but useful, to its last detail. Written with clarity, focus, and urgency, Best has 'un-reconstructed' Marx for our days" - Richard Dienst, author of "The Bonds of Debt".
"A revolutionary book" - Werner Bonefeld, author of "A Critical Theory of Economic Compulsion".
"That rare work of theory whose practical consequences shout out loud. Surely among the most useful books on the third volume of Capital ever written" - Christopher Nealon, author of "The Matter of Capital".
"Brilliant, eloquent, and precise. Best has given us one of the most profound re-readings of Capital to appear in a generation and an essential resource" - Neil Larsen, author of "Determinations".
Pages: 368, Publication Year: 0730, Dimensions: 15.3x15.3cm
