This post is a sequel to my previous articles on Volume One and Volume Two of Capital. I have nothing to add in terms of review that can not be found in those articles. I have nothing to add in terms of study materials which can not be found in those articles. The only thing I can provide you, other than my own personal notes, is a warning. Volume Three presents unique difficulty because Marx is, in a lot of ways, undoing his own work from the previous volumes. Things which seemed like hard set rules will be challenged and transformed. Even the beloved “law of value,” which the general public thinks of as guiding Marx’s economic works, undergoes heavy alteration and deconstruction. The mistake that I made while reading, that I see most people make, was in trying to hold on too much to these old rules. You have to let the text take you where it wants. Perhaps more than the previous volumes, this one requires both a rigorous study and a fast, nimble, and adjustable mind.
Below, you will find my personal notes on Capital, Vol. 3. Just as with the other notes I have posted, these were written during my first read-through of the book, and have not been re-edited since. There will certainly be rough spots and mistakes. In general, however, these notes are far superior to the ones I took on Volume 1, if only because I have grown. All page numbers referenced in the notes are to the Penguin Classics edition of the text. The number of pages listed next to each part in this article is in reference to the notes, not the book.
Part 1 – Chapters 1-7 (19 pages)
Part 2 – Chapters 8-12 (13 pages)
Part 3 – Chapters 13-15 (16 pages)
Part 4 – Chapters 16-20 (15 pages)
Part 5 – Chapters 21-36 (36 pages)
Part 6 – Chapters 37-47 (25 pages)
Part 7 – Chapters 48-52, including Engels’ Supplement (12 pages)
Whether you use any of the notes I have posted or not, I hope you take the time to make your way through this immensely important work. Good luck!
Desperate Times 