Written between 1857 and 1858,the Grundrisse is the first draft of Marx's critique of political economy and, thus, also the initial preparatory work on Capital. Despite its editorial vicissitudes and late publication,Grundrisse con- tains numerous reflections on matters that Marx did not develop elsewhere in his oeuvre and is therefore extremely important for an overall interpretation of his thought.
In this collection,various intemational experts in the field, analysing the Grundrisse on the one-hundred-and-fiftiethanniversary of its composition, present a Marx in many ways radically different from the one who figures in the dominant currents of twentieth-century Marxism.The book demonstrates the relevance of the Grundrisse to an understanding of Capital and of Marx's theo- retical project as a whole, which, as is well known, remained uncompleted. It also highlights the continuing explanatory power of Marxian categories for contemporary society and its present contradictions. Musto's volume is divided into three parts. The first consists of eight chapters on the main themes that emerge from a reading of the Grundrisse: method, value, alienation, surplus value, historical materialism, ecological contradictions, socialism, and a compar- ison between the Grundrisse and Capital. The second reconstructs the biograph- ical and theoretical context in which Marx wrote these manuscripts; while the third presents a full account of their dissemination and reception throughout the world.
With contributions from such scholars as Eric Hobsbawm and Terrell Carver, and covering subject areas such as political economy, philosophy and Marxism, this book is likely to become required reading for serious scholars of Marx across the world.
Marcello Musto is a Researcher at the University of Naples‘L'Orientale’, in Naples, Italy.