2025 is the year I plan on reading Volumes 1-3 of Capital. I understand that Marxists.org has the Moore/Engels version, but most people seem to prefer the Fowkes translation in Penguin. Recently, there is the Reitter translation of Volume 1 that supposedly uses a later original German edition of Capital as the base than the widely beloved Fowkes translation, but I am not sure if anyone has any experience with it yet.

Which would you recommend for someone diving into Capital for the first time? I’d prefer a physical version (to take notes) but I am not too fussed if its an ebook, I’m not incapable of using a notebook or anything instead of direct annotation.

  • Justice@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
    3·
    4 days ago

    I wondered this myself years ago when I started reading Marx.

    The TDLR is: All translations are almost exactly the same. The differences lie in specific words being swapped by translators I assume based on personal opinion of which constitutes a more accurate translation.

    I even purposely read the Moore translation and then went back and (skimmed, to be 100%) reread the chapter in the Penguin publication. I noted a few words or grammar changes, but overall, it was like 99% the same text.

    The “most different” chapter that I recall being somewhat substantially different in my opinion was the one on “commodity fetishization” (I BELIEVE it’s in the Money chapter. Maybe chapter III? It has been, apparently, too long…). It’s a small section, easily readable to see the differences if one cares to do so.

    To sum it up though from memory: Penguin refers to a hypothetical capitalist that Marx is writing and imagining (having us imagine the scenario with him) as something like “the capitalist” or “the owner” (from memory here…). However, Marx apparently referred to the capitalist as “Mr Moneybags” (in German of course) in the original. Which is how Moore translates it. Mr. Moneybags- capital personified.

    They also tweak some wording regarding the word “tanning” removing the original “witty humor” (if you will) that Marx injected and Moore extracted. Just read the chapters if you care enough to see. My main gripe is the Penguin edition erased humor that Marx intended for Capital to have. People joke about stuck up Marxists, all nerdy and stuff. But Marx was quite humorous. Deleting his humor from his own works feels like an abomination in a certain sense. Sure it sorta doesn’t matter… but then why do it? Just leave in Mr Moneybags. Let us mock!