Introduction.
No apology, I imagine, is necessary for the appearance of this translation of Marx's "Misère de la Philosophie." On the contrary it is strange that it should not have been published in England before, and that the translation of his monumental work, the "Capital," tardy as that was, should have yet been made before that of a work which was originally published some twenty years before "Capital" first appeared.
It may be that the translators and editors of the latter work were of opinion that in view of the comprehensiveness of "Capital," a publication of an English edition of the "Misère de la Philosophie" would be a work of supererogation. Or it may be that they thought a book so distinctly French—as the "Capital" may be said to be distinctly English—and which was, further, exclusively a criticism of a work of Proudhon's little known in England—would have slight interest for English readers. On the other hand, the groundwork of the theories so fully elaborated in "Capital," apart from its exhaustive analysis of the capitalist system of production and distribution, will be found in "Misère." In addition, there are several subjects—notably that of rent—
5
