Marx/Engels Collected Works
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Collected_works_of_Marx_and_Engles_%2815941449894%29.jpg/300px-Collected_works_of_Marx_and_Engles_%2815941449894%29.jpg)
Marx/Engels Collected Works (also known as MECW) is the largest existing collection of English translations of works by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Its 50 volumes contain publications by Marx and Engels released during their lifetimes, many unpublished manuscripts of Marx's economic writings, and extensive personal correspondence. The Collected Works, for the most part compiled by the Institute of Marxism-Leninism of the CC CPSU, was issued from 1975 to 2004 by Progress Publishers (1931, Moscow) in collaboration with Lawrence and Wishart (1936, London) and International Publishers (1924, New York City).
History and overview
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/MECW.png/220px-MECW.png)
Part of a series on |
Marxism |
---|
![]() |
Although about a third of Marx and Engels' works were originally written in English and partly published in the British or American press,[1] the vast majority of their literary legacy was not collected, translated (where necessary) and made available in an extensive English edition for decades after their death.
In the Soviet Union, comprehensive collections of the works of Marx and Engels were already compiled in the 1920s and 1930s (an aborted complete edition, MEGA1, as well as a first Russian edition in 28 volumes, Sochineniya1). But only following the publication of new editions in Russian and German in the 1950s and 1960s (Sochineniya2 and Marx-Engels-Werke with 39 basic volumes and a few more supplementary ones later on), an English edition begun being prepared by Soviet editors with the help of the publishing houses of the Communist Parties in Great Britain and the USA and translators from these countries.[2]
After general editing principles had been agreed upon by the representatives of all three sides (Institute of Marxism-Leninism and Progress Publishers, Moscow, the Central Committees of the CPs in Great Britain and the US and their publishers Lawrence and Wishart, London, and International Publishers, New York) at a conference in Moscow in December 1969,[3] the first volume of the new edition was published in 1975.
More than forty volumes were published before the fall of the USSR; the few remaining ones were completed and issued by 2004 (V. 50).
Large parts of both authors' early writings, many of their newspaper articles (e.g. from the Neue Rheinische Zeitung 1848-49) and most of their letters as well as many of Marx's economic manuscripts were published in English for the first time in the Collected Works.[4] In total, the 50 volumes comprise 1,968 works and other documents (of which 805 were published in English for the first time) and 3,957 letters (of which 2,283 had never been published in English before).[5]
The Collected Works consists of writings by Marx between 1835 and his death in 1883, and by Engels between 1838 and his death in 1895. Early volumes (V. 1-2) include juvenilia, such as correspondence between Marx and his father, Marx's poetry, and letters from Engels to his sister. The edition also contains several major, well-known works by Marx and Engels, such as The Condition of the Working Class in England (V. 4), The Communist Manifesto (V. 6), The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Napoleon (V. 11), and Anti-Dühring (V. 25).
The collection is divided into three parts. Volumes 1-27 collect the political, philosophical, historical and journalistic writings of the authors, in chronological order. Volumes 28-37 specifically collect Marx's writings on political economy, including a large amount of draft material and manuscripts which culminated in the three volumes of Capital (V. 35-37). Finally, volumes 38-50 collect the letters and personal correspondence of the authors.[6]
Contents by volume
[edit]Although most of MECW's volumes include material written by Marx and Engels (whether separately or as co-authors), a large minority of volumes are devoted to material written by only one author. Red check marks indicate the author's presence in a volume, while black X marks indicate that the author's work is absent. Although the volumes typically contain large varieties of material, only major selected items are listed below, for illustration.
Volume | Marx | Engels | Period | Pub. Date | Major Contents |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | ![]() | 1835–1843 | 1975 | Early writings of Marx, including doctoral dissertation The Difference Between the Democritean and Epicurean Philosophy of Nature[7] |
2 | ![]() | ![]() | 1838–1842 | 1975 | Early writings of Engels[8] |
3 | ![]() | ![]() | 1843–1844 | 1975 | Early writings of both, including the Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right[9] |
4 | ![]() | ![]() | 1844–1845 | 1975 | The Holy Family, The Condition of the Working Class in England[10] |
5 | ![]() | ![]() | 1845–1847 | 1976 | The German Ideology, Theses on Feuerbach[11] |
6 | ![]() | ![]() | 1845–1848 | 1976 | The Communist Manifesto, The Poverty of Philosophy, Principles of Communism[12] |
7 | ![]() | ![]() | 1848 | 1977 | Articles for Neue Rheinische Zeitung[13][14][15] |
8 | ![]() | ![]() | 1848–1849 | 1977 | |
9 | ![]() | ![]() | 1849 | 1977 | |
10 | ![]() | ![]() | 1849–1851 | 1978 | The Class Struggles in France 1848–1850, The Peasant War in Germany[16] |
11 | ![]() | ![]() | 1851–1853 | 1979 | The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Napoleon, Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Germany[17] |
12 | ![]() | ![]() | 1853–1854 | 1979 | Newspaper articles concerning global politics and other writings, including The Civil War in the United States[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] |
13 | ![]() | ![]() | 1854–1855 | 1980 | |
14 | ![]() | ![]() | 1855–1856 | 1980 | |
15 | ![]() | ![]() | 1856–1858 | 1986 | |
16 | ![]() | ![]() | 1858–1860 | 1980 | |
17 | ![]() | ![]() | 1859–1860 | 1981 | |
18 | ![]() | ![]() | 1857–1862 | 1982 | |
19 | ![]() | ![]() | 1861–1864 | 1984 | |
20 | ![]() | ![]() | 1864-1868 | 1985 | Articles and writings concerning the First International, Value, Price and Profit (V. 20)[26][27][28][29] |
21 | ![]() | ![]() | 1867– 1870 | 1985 | |
22 | ![]() | ![]() | 1870–1871 | 1986 | |
23 | ![]() | ![]() | 1871–1874 | 1988 | |
24 | ![]() | ![]() | 1874–1883 | 1989 | Critique of the Gotha Program, Socialism: Utopian and Scientific[30] |
25 | ![]() | ![]() | — | 1987 | Anti-Dühring, Dialectics of Nature[31] |
26 | ![]() | ![]() | 1882–1889 | 1990 | Origin of the Family, Ludwig Feuerbach and the End of Classical German Philosophy[32] |
27 | ![]() | ![]() | 1890–1895 | 1990 | Late political writings of Engels[33] |
28 | ![]() | ![]() | 1857–1861 | 1986 | Grundrisse, A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy[34][35] |
29 | ![]() | ![]() | 1857– 1861 | 1987 | |
30 | ![]() | ![]() | 1861–1863 | 1988 | Economic Manuscripts of 1861–1863, which includes Theories of Surplus Value[36][37][38][39][40] |
31 | ![]() | ![]() | 1861–1863 | 1989 | |
32 | ![]() | ![]() | 1861–1863 | 1989 | |
33 | ![]() | ![]() | 1861–1863 | 1991 | |
34 | ![]() | ![]() | 1861–1864 | 1994 | |
35 | ![]() | ![]() | — | 1996 | Capital, Volume I[41] |
36 | ![]() | ![]() | — | 1997 | Capital, Volume II[42] |
37 | ![]() | ![]() | — | 1998 | Capital, Volume III[43] |
38 | ![]() | ![]() | 1844– 1851 | 1982 | Letters[44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56] |
39 | ![]() | ![]() | 1852–1855 | 1983 | |
40 | ![]() | ![]() | 1856–1859 | 1983 | |
41 | ![]() | ![]() | 1860–1864 | 1985 | |
42 | ![]() | ![]() | 1864–1868 | 1987 | |
43 | ![]() | ![]() | 1868–1870 | 1988 | |
44 | ![]() | ![]() | 1870–1873 | 1989 | |
45 | ![]() | ![]() | 1874-1879 | 1991 | |
46 | ![]() | ![]() | 1880–1883 | 1992 | |
47 | ![]() | ![]() | 1883–1886 | 1995 | |
48 | ![]() | ![]() | 1887–1890 | 2001 | |
49 | ![]() | ![]() | 1890–1892 | 2001 | |
50 | ![]() | ![]() | 1892–1895 | 2004 |
Differences with other Marx/Engels collections
[edit]Although the Collected Works is the most comprehensive English translation of Marx and Engels' work, it is not their complete work. An ongoing project to publish the pair's complete works in their original language (Marx-Engels-Gesamtausgabe) is expected to require 114 volumes.[57] However, as MEGA differs from MECW particularly in content in that it presents numerous excerpts and notes in its fourth section, publishes the letters to Marx and Engels from third persons, and prints various editions of the same works (e.g. Capital), the overwhelming majority of the published writings, manuscripts, and letters of Marx and Engels are in any case included in MECW.[58]
See also
[edit]- Marx-Engels-Gesamtausgabe (MEGA), a project in progress to publish the complete untranslated works of Marx and Engels with extensive critical apparatus.
- The Karl Marx Library, an aborted 13 volume series edited by Saul K. Padover, terminated in 1977.
References
[edit]- ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1975). "General Introduction". Collected Works. Vol. 1. London. pp. XVIII–XIX.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1975). "General Introduction". Collected Works. Vol. 1. London. p. XVIII.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1975). "General Introduction". Collected Works. Vol. 1. London. p. XXIV.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1975). "General Introduction". Collected Works. Vol. 1. London. p. XIX.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (2004). "Preface". Collected Works. Vol. 50. London. p. XXVIII.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "Marx & Engels Collected Works". Lawrence and Wishart.
- ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1975). Collected Works. Vol. 1. London. ISBN 9780853152842.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1975). Collected Works. Vol. 2. London. ISBN 9780853152927.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1975). Collected Works. Vol. 3. London. ISBN 9780853152934.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1975). Collected Works. Vol. 4. London. ISBN 9780853152941.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1976). Collected Works. Vol. 5. London. ISBN 9780853153115.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1976). Collected Works. Vol. 6. London. ISBN 9780853153122.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1977). Collected Works. Vol. 7. London. ISBN 9780853153528.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1977). Collected Works. Vol. 8. London. ISBN 9780853153535.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1977). Collected Works. Vol. 9. London. ISBN 9780853153542.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1978). Collected Works. Vol. 10. London. ISBN 9780853153559.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1979). Collected Works. Vol. 11. London. ISBN 9780853153566.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1979). Collected Works. Vol. 12. London. ISBN 9780853153573.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1980). Collected Works. Vol. 13. London. ISBN 9780853153580.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1980). Collected Works. Vol. 14. London. ISBN 9780853154358.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1986). Collected Works. Vol. 15. London. ISBN 9780853154365.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1980). Collected Works. Vol. 16. London. ISBN 9780853154372.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1981). Collected Works. Vol. 17. London. ISBN 9780853154389.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1982). Collected Works. Vol. 18. London. ISBN 9780853154396.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1984). Collected Works. Vol. 19. London. ISBN 9780853154402.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1985). Collected Works. Vol. 20. London. ISBN 9780853154419.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1985). Collected Works. Vol. 21. London. ISBN 9780853154426.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1986). Collected Works. Vol. 22. London. ISBN 9780853154433.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1988). Collected Works. Vol. 23. London. ISBN 9780853154440.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1989). Collected Works. Vol. 24. London. ISBN 9780853154457.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1987). Collected Works. Vol. 25. London. ISBN 9780853154464.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1990). Collected Works. Vol. 26. London. ISBN 9780853154471.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1990). Collected Works. Vol. 27. London. ISBN 9780853154488.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1986). Collected Works. Vol. 28. London. ISBN 9780853154495.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1987). Collected Works. Vol. 29. London. ISBN 9780853154501.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1988). Collected Works. Vol. 30. London. ISBN 9780853154518.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1989). Collected Works. Vol. 31. London. ISBN 9780853154525.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1989). Collected Works. Vol. 32. London. ISBN 9780853154532.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1991). Collected Works. Vol. 33. London. ISBN 9780853154549.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1994). Collected Works. Vol. 34. London. ISBN 9780853154556.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1996). Collected Works. Vol. 35. London. ISBN 9780853158523.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1997). Collected Works. Vol. 36. London. ISBN 9780853154570.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1998). Collected Works. Vol. 37. London. ISBN 9780853154587.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1982). Collected Works. Vol. 38. London. ISBN 9780853154594.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1983). Collected Works. Vol. 39. London. ISBN 9780853154600.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1983). Collected Works. Vol. 40. London. ISBN 9780853154617.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1985). Collected Works. Vol. 41. London. ISBN 9780853156178.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1987). Collected Works. Vol. 42. London. ISBN 9780853156185.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1988). Collected Works. Vol. 43. London. ISBN 9780853156192.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1989). Collected Works. Vol. 44. London. ISBN 9780853156208.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1991). Collected Works. Vol. 45. London. ISBN 9780853156215.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1992). Collected Works. Vol. 46. London. ISBN 9780853156222.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (1995). Collected Works. Vol. 47. London. ISBN 9780853156239.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (2001). Collected Works. Vol. 48. London. ISBN 9780853156246.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (2001). Collected Works. Vol. 49. London. ISBN 9780853156253.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (2001). Collected Works. Vol. 50. London. ISBN 9780853156260.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ marxforschung.de: Marx-Engels-Gesamtausgabe (MEGA²) (German).
- ^ Wendling, Amy E. (March 2005). "Comparing Two Editions of Marx-Engels Collected Works". Socialism and Democracy. 19: 181–189. doi:10.1080/0885430042000338499. S2CID 144273105.