New Book

Marx’s Theory of the Genesis of Money: How, Why, and Through What is a Commodity Money

11th Apr 2019

Marx’s Theory of the Genesis of Money: How, Why, and Through What is a Commodity Money

Samezō Kuruma, edited and translated by Michael Schauerte

• $28 / £24.99 • 9781608460588 • 204 Pages 

Historical Materialism, new in paperback catalogue: https://we.tl/t-DNvshoI187

In this volume, Kuruma analyses Marx’s approach to the commodity and money in the first two chapters of Capital, vol I., including a discussion of the theory of the value-form and other important theoretical questions posed by Marx.

In this volume, the first of the author’s works to be translated into English, Samezō Kuruma examines the different angles from which Marx analyses the commodity and money in the first two chapters of Capital, Vol I. Kuruma carefully explains each of the theoretical questions raised by Marx, particularly the theory of the value-form, which unravels the mystery surrounding money.

This work includes an English translation of the full text of Kuruma’s book, Kachikeitai-ron to kōkankate-ron (Theory of the Value Form and Theory of the Exchange Process) (Iwanami Shoten, 1957) and a slightly abridged version of Part I ofKahei-ron (Theory of Money) (Otsuki Shoten, 1979). It is a substantially revised edition of the English translation under the same title,Marx’s Theory of the Genesis of Money, that was self-published by the translator (Outskirts Press, 2008).

Customers in North America can order the book direct from Haymarket’s website at a 30% discount, with free postage: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1202-marx-s-theory-of-the-genesis-of-money

We encourage customers elsewhere to order through independent bookstores where possible, particularly the Alliance of Radical Booksellers in the UK: http://www.radicalbooksellers.co.uk/  

Samezō Kuruma (18931982), was professor emeritus at Hosei University, Tokyo. He edited the multivolume Marx-Lexikon zur Politischen Ökonomie (Otsuki Shoten). Other published works includeKeizaigaku shi (History of Political Economy) andKyoko kenkyu (Investigation of Crisis).

Michael Schauerte, MA (2001), Hitotsubashi University. Translated works include Samezō Kuruma’s A Critique of Political Economy”(2007, Research in Political Economy) and Ōsugi Sakae’sMy Escapes from Japan (2014, Doyosha). He writes regularly for the monthlySocialist Standard.

For publicity requests or any other queries, contact uk@haymarketbooks.org (Europe) or john@haymarketbooks.org (US, rest of world).