An Introduction to the Three Volumes of Karl Marx's Capital

As CB says, it should be retitled "Re-Interpreting Marx's Capital, in the 21st Century." No author can be neutral, but Heinrich's peculiar interpretation of Marx is egregious. He argues essentially that value-creation does not occur in production but in circulation. This is because he wants Marx to be, not a pre-monetary theorist a la Smith & Ricardo, but a more up-to-date monetary theorist. The problem with this is: it is completely against Marx's scientific method, which he inherits from Galileo. Marx warned the entire field of economics not to explain things in terms of the circulatory sphere, where all is illusory appearance and mere data for the abstract theory of value which has its origins in production - value-creation being an explanatory unobservable relative to the phenomena of the market. Heinrich disregards all this and instead interprets Marx as 'a vulgar economist' - an economist who takes (monetary) appearances as essential and explanatory. As a result, Heinrich's interpretation is extremely misleading for anyone wanting to understand why Marx is the Newton of economics - i.e. why Marx refers to value as akin to gravity, an invisible qualitative force irreducible to quantitative concrete phenomena of the market. Heinrich disregards such formulations and all reference to natural law in Marx as "unfortunate" (230). Precisely - they are unfortunate for Heinrich's academic thesis, which is not well supported. Nevertheless, Heinrich does do a good job relating some of the basics. Just be sure to ignore him when he emphasizes fallacious points like 'spectral objectivity' which deviate far from the text to suit his preconceived academic theses.

This is a worthwhile introduction to Marx’s Capital project. The best part is the explication of value as a form and the analysis of money, especially the argument that money was never strictly tied to gold.It’s ultimately an extremely sectarian take, especially the first few chapters where he dismisses Lenin completely (and without real justification) and lumps together every other reading besides his as “worldview Marxism” that’s, of course, reductive. This would be fine if he acknowledged his sectarianism—but instead it’s hidden under the cover of “novelty.”

This is an important read for me. I left off reading what others write about Marx after reading Althusseer's For Marx, a nice book too.Marx tells us in Capital, 1:638, that "Capitalist production, therefore, only develops techniques and the degree of combination of the social process of production by simultaneously undermining the original sources of all wealth -- the soil and the worker."As I lean back in my chair and consider the state of the world, the diminished value of labor, global warming, and war after war, I believe books like Heinrich's do us all a favor by pointing to Marx's insightful comments. I'll now return to Capital's 3 volumes with the enthusiasm Heinrich's introduction inspired.Marx did give us a critique of capitalism's economic categories, naturalized and reified, upside down by another perspective.eddie evanscrimescenecleanup.com

Excellent! It is well-written and easy to follow the intrinsic complexes of the K. Marx's thoughts. At least for me considering that I did not have any familiarity with his economic ideas.

best introduction and overview of marx i've read so far. heinrich basically skips to the heart of each major concept and also explains how former marxist interpretations have been wrong. heinrich clearly has read and understands the nuances of marx. for example, the labor theory of value had already been discussed by many others before him. it would seem rather stupid for marx to spend a decade or more thinking about this and not come up with anything better. heinrich explains the subtelties behind this and many other theories. you may not agree in the end with everything, but for a student who needs to apply more rigorous understandings of marx to the current situation, this is an incredibly lucid and discussion.i would also recommend harvey's introductions, but they are a bit harder to get through. combined together though and i think you'd have it covered.note: i've read the parts in capital 1 about labor theory of value and i think without an introduction by someone who has spent at least a decade thinking through these concepts you will most likely come to superficial conclusions. it is very easy to think you know what marx means, but i'd rather believe he had figured out somethings no one else had.

Heinrich's Introduction to Marx's CAPITAL is a very important work for many a reason. First of all, its language is clear, precise and accurate, so that everybody will be able to understand very difficult terms like surplus value, avarage profit, etc.; secondly, Heinrich's analysis is comprehensive because it is not focused only on the first volume of Marx's CAPITAL but it takes into account all the three volumes. Thus everybody who is interested in Marxism and in the study of the current stage of capitalism will benefit from reading this Introduction.Prof. Luciano VitacolonnaUniversity of Chieti-Pescara (Italy)

This study of Capital by Heinrich is quite profound, but at the same time very easy to follow: very complex concepts are explained very clearly and very helpful to review Marxist categories. A great book!

Love it!

Heinrich's introduction to Capital isn't the only study guide to Marx's Capital out there, but it's clarity and brevity make it an excellent first step to those who wish to dive into Marx's magnum opus. And even for those who don't intend to delve deeply into Capital itself, it serves as a clear introduction that helps one understand the important of Marx's thought and its relevance to today's world. Since we still live under capitalism, if you want to understand the world that you live in, this little book will go a long way toward helping you do that. Friends or foes, proponents or opponents, of capitalism alike will find this an informative book which will elevate their understanding of contemporary issues, and consequently the level of political debate in our society.

Ótimo e importante livro, com preço acessível, e feito por um dos principais pesquisadores da obra da Marx na atualidade.Não tem a missão de resolver problemas teóricos, mas tem sucesso em apontar algumas.

This is the only introduction to Capital that I would recommend to beginners and experts alike. Heinrich does justice to the complexities of Marx's mode of presentation without engaging in dialectical obfuscation. Thus, he achieves the difficult task of providing an accessible introduction to Marx's Capital while, at the same time, putting forward a clear argument for the monetary theory of value. This makes Heinrich's introduction both incredibly lucid and rewarding to those who have studied Marx's work extensively.

Michael Heinrich's Introduction to Capital is a very clear and concise introduction to Marx's three volumes of capital. Rather than just paraphrase Marx's work, Heinrich has explained in his own language the major concepts and relationships embedded in Marx's long and dense work. It is rare to find a commentary on all three volumes of Capital in one work - most commentaries only focus on the first volume - leaving out important concepts expressed in the other two volumes. The work requires no previous knowledge of Capital and caters to both the expert Marxist along with the novice.

Excelente introdução ao Capital de Karl Marx, buscando entender essa obra superando as visões economicistas que ainda hoje se perpetuam no marxismo brasileiro.