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American Economic Association
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels: Correspondence, 1846-1895. A Selection with Commentary
and Notes by Dona Torr
Review by: J. E. Moffat
The American Economic Review, Vol. 25, No. 4 (Dec., 1935), pp. 728-729
Published by: American Economic Association
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REVIEWS AND NEW BOOKS 
General Works, Theory and Its History 
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Correspondence, 1846-1895. A Selection 
with Commentary and Notes. Translated and edited by DONA TORR. 
(New York: Internat. Pubs. 1935. Pp. xvii, 551. $3.75.) 
This volume has a rather interesting history. Some time before the out- 
break of the World War, Lenin developed a keen interest in the Marx 
and Engels letters and actively encouraged their collection and publication. 
The Gesamtausgabe, published by the Marx-Engels-Lenin Institute contains 
more than 1,500 of the letters exchanged between Marx and Engels. In 
addition to these, the Institute collection includes a large number of letters 
written by Marx and Engels to other correspondents. A volume of selections 
from the Gesamtausgabe, edited by V. Adoratsky, appeared last year. The 
work under review is an English translation of the Adoratsky selections, 
with the addition of 16 letters having special interest for students of the 
working-class movement in England and America. The book contains 234 
letters, or extracts from letters, the majority of them having passed between 
Marx and Engels. The translation and editing is the work of Dona Torr. 
These letters reveal in a striking way the remarkable friendship of Marx 
and Engels. While Marx was a critic whose shafts were frequently directed 
against friends as well as foes, and whose life was strewn with misunder- 
standings and broken friendships, his harmonious relationship with Engels 
persisted to the last. In both his written work and practical policies, he con- 
stantly relied on Engels' judgment. We may add that in these confidential 
letters that passed between the two men, it is enlightening to get Marx's 
frank opinions of his contemporaries. Especially interesting are his refer- 
ences to Proudhon, Lassalle, Kugelmann, Bruno Bauer, Diihring, and 
Bakunin. 
Readers will also find in this correspondence an intimate and fascinating 
history of the communist and socialist movements for the period represented. 
The selections bring out many significant details of the radical organizations 
and their activities and reveal in a striking way the effective strategy of 
Marx in carefully planning and directing the major offensives while at the 
same time giving the impression of remaining somewhat in the background. 
It is also possible to follow the adventures of Marx in his literary efforts. 
Many of the letters deal with the progress of his numerous manuscripts, in- 
cluding, of course, the material for Das Kapital. 
Most important, however, is the light thrown upon the basic ideas of 
Marxism. As might be expected, numerous passages are devoted to explain- 
ing the nature and importance of dialectics. There is also ample evidence 
that to the end of his life Marx thought in terms of socialism through 
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1935 J General Works, Theory and Its History 729 
revolution. In several of the letters of both Marx and Engels, there are 
elaborate discussions of the economic interpretation of history; and all of 
the material clearly indicates that Marx was vastly more concerned with the 
process by which socialism might be achieved than with the details or 
technique of a socialistic system. 
The book bears evidence of patient and sympathetic editing and is re- 
plete with copious footnotes. Unfortunately, some of the footnotes suffer 
somewhat from an excess of editorial zeal. This, however, does not detract 
greatly from the value of the book, and on the whole, the translation should 
prove a useful addition to the Marxian literature available in English. 
J. E. MOFFAT 
Indiana University 
Corso di Economia Politica. By ACHILLE LORIA. (Turin: Un. Tip.-Ed. 
Torinese. 1934. Pp. xl, 843. L. 70.) 
Dinanfica Economica. By ACHILLE LORIA. (Turin: Uni. Tip.-Ed. Torinese. 
1935. Pp. 364. L. 25.) 
These two works are supplementary statements of Professor Loria's views. 
The larger one is a new edition of a widely read text, originally redacted 
from the author's lectures at Turin. He is not content to describe modern 
economic organization and explain it in theoretical terms, but includes a 
theory of economic evolution and a critical discussion of economic ideas 
as well. As a text it has conspicuous merits. Facts selected from the experi- 
ence of all European countries, America and elsewhere, are used to illus- 
trate general problems and are coordinated with theories. There are few 
really dull places, an exceptional achievement for a textbook. The present 
edition differs from the previous one by the addition of some new data and 
references, but the body of the work is unchanged. The subtitle indicating 
extended treatment of the corporative system is misleading since the fascist 
economic policy is given only scant attention incidentally to other problems. 
Only a few elements of Loria's doctrine can be stated here. His attempt 
to combine classical theory with a historism colored by his sympathy for the 
Marxian philosophy and criticism of capitalism, leads to an oversimplified 
schematization of historical data and an emphasis on institutional changes 
in the purely theoretical chapters, which make his positive doctrine rather 
unclear. He holds that the course of economic development is conditioned in 
the main by the necessity of devising better methods of organization as a 
population of increasing density is compelled to use poorer resources. Thus 
there is a transition from communism to slave labor, to serfdom, to free 
labor and eventually to free capitalistic enterprise, a process through which 
older countries have passed and which is reproduced more rapidly in new 
ones. This theory is supported by a formidable array of facts, but its validity 
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	Article Contents
	p. [728]
	p. 729
	Issue Table of Contents
	The American Economic Review, Vol. 25, No. 4 (Dec., 1935), pp. 635-834
	Front Matter
	Commons on Institutional Economics [pp. 635 - 652]
	Time Deposits and Price Stability, 1922-1928 [pp. 653 - 660]
	The Banking Act of 1935 [pp. 661 - 672]
	The Revenue Act of 1935 [pp. 673 - 690]
	Malthusianism In Late Eighteenth Century America [pp. 691 - 707]
	Tractor Versus Horse as a Source of Farm Power [pp. 708 - 723]
	Communication
	Fallacies of "Social Credit" [pp. 724 - 727]Reviews and New Books
	General Works, Theory ans Its History
	untitled [pp. 728 - 729]
	untitled [pp. 729 - 731]
	untitled [pp. 731 - 732]
	New Books [pp. 733 - 737]
	Economic History and Geography
	untitled [pp. 738 - 739]
	untitled [pp. 739 - 740]
	untitled [pp. 740 - 741]
	untitled [pp. 741 - 742]
	untitled [pp. 742 - 744]
	New Books [pp. 744 - 748]
	Agriculture, Mining, Forestry and Fisheries
	untitled [pp. 749 - 750]
	New Books [pp. 750 - 752]
	Manufacturing Industries
	New Books [pp. 753 - 754]
	Transportation and Communication
	untitled [pp. 754 - 756]
	New Books [pp. 757 - 759]
	Trade, Commerce, and Commercial Crises
	untitled [pp. 759 - 760]
	untitled [pp. 760 - 761]
	New Books [pp. 761 - 765]
	Accounting, Business Methods, Investments and the Exchanges
	untitled [pp. 765 - 767]
	untitled [pp. 767 - 768]
	New Books [pp. 768 - 773]
	Capital and Capitalistic Organization
	New Books [p. 773]
	Labor and Labor Organizations
	untitled [pp. 773 - 776]
	untitled [pp. 776 - 778]
	New Books [pp. 778 - 780]
	Money, Prices, Credit, and Banking
	untitled [pp. 780 - 782]
	untitled [pp. 782 - 783]
	untitled [pp. 783 - 784]
	untitled [pp. 784 - 785]
	New Books [pp. 785 - 792]
	Public Finance, Taxation, and Tariff
	untitled [pp. 793 - 794]
	New Books [pp. 794 - 795]
	Population and Migration
	New Books [p. 795]
	Social Problems and Reforms
	New Books [pp. 795 - 803]
	Insurance and Pensions
	New Books [p. 803]
	Pauperism, Charities, and Relief Measures
	untitled [pp. 804 - 805]
	New Books [p. 805]
	Socialism and Co-operative Enterprises
	untitled [pp. 805 - 807]
	New Books [pp. 807 - 808]
	Periodicals [pp. 809 - 818]
	Documents, Reports, and Legislation [pp. 819 - 820]
	Notes [pp. 821 - 834]
	Back Matter