ABSTRACT
The publishing process of the French version of Das Kapital was an international effort of various geographically separated individuals in Western Europe. Many people were involved in the process of writing, translating, editing and printing Le Capital, published in 44 instalments arranged in series. In this chapter, we will describe the involvement of Marx and other people in Le Capital from December 1871, when Marx received La Châtre’s publishing offer, until the publication of the last instalments in November 1875. The chapter provides evidence that this edition was a family and personal endeavour of a transnational nature and delivers a history without focusing solely on Marx’s involvement. We present an examination of the publishing process of Le Capital without a sole focus on correspondence written by Marx and include correspondence from connections who were previously overlooked, such as relatives, friends and people working in La Châtre’s company. This approach sheds light on other people’s role and contributions to the publication of this French edition, instead of a narrow depiction of Marx’s intellectual work. By doing so, we aim to provide a nuanced representation of Marx’s work on the French edition and how it intersected with his network of contacts.
