Najamni Rad I Kapital. S uvodom fridriha Engelsa.

First edition in Serbian. 8vo. 53, [3] pp. Original printed wrappers, edges untrimmed (some neat restoration work to the spine, ownership inscription dated 1920 to head of title, otherwise a very good copy indeed). Beograd, Izdanje Srpske Socijal-Demokratske Stranke.

The first Serbian translation of Marx's essay Wage Labour & Capital, an important precursor to his critique of political economy in Das Kapital, originally delivered as a series of lectures at the German Workingmen’s Club of Brussels in 1847 and first published as a series of articles in the Neue Rheinische Zeitung in 1849. Also included is a translation of the ten page introduction to the text by Friedrich Engels prepared for the German edition of 1891.

The translation was undertaken by Dimitrije Tucoviç (1881-1914), the founder of modern trade unionism in Serbia, and published by the Serbian Social Democratic Party (SSDP, Srpska socijaldemokratska partija). It was published in the SSDP's influential book series 'Socijalisticka Biblioteka', which played a key role in the diffusion of Marxist texts in the Kingdom of Serbia prior to the First World War and the subsequent formation of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

Dimitrije Tucoviç was a founding member of the SSDP in 1903 and lead the party from 1908 until his death in 1914. Under his direction the SSDP became one of the most progressive and revolutionary workers’ parties in Europe, prioritising the full establishment of universal suffrage and promoting the development of trade unionism in Serbia. Tucoviç was also an influential socialist writer in his own right, his most important contribution to Marxist discourse being the book Serbia and Albania (1914), a critique of the imperialist policy of the Kingdom of Serbia in the Balkans, as well as a prolific translator of Marxist texts, producing a Serbian translation of the Communist Manifesto published in the same year as the present edition of Wage Labour & Capital.

Tucoviç is perhaps best remembered for his commitment to the anti-war movement, vehemently opposing the bourgeoise interests behind the Serbian invasion of Albania in 1912 and the eventual outbreak of the First World War. Indeed, under his leadership the SSDP were one of only three members of the Second International to oppose the First World War, along with Lenin's Bolsheviks and the 'Narrows' of Bulgarian Workers' Social Democratic Party lead by Dimitar Blagoev. Nevertheless, despite his anti-war principles, he was drafted into the Serbian army as a reserve officer upon the outbreak First Balkan War and was killed in 1914 at the Battle of Kolubara against the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Tucoviç was well-known amongst European revolutionary circles and was eulogised upon his death by Leon Trotsky in an article published in the newspaper Kievskaya Mysl as “one of the noblest and most heroic figures of the Serbian workers’ movement”.

Rare. We have been unable to trace any copies held institutionally outside of Serbia. No copies on OCLC or KVK.

Stock Code: 243266