Capital and Labour; de KNIGHT, Charles - 1845: Including the Results of Machinery.

London: Charles Knight & Co.,, 1845. First edition thus of this analysis of the production of wealth, from the library of Marcel Bekus (1888-1939), with his ink ownership stamp on the front free endpaper and the title page (verso). Bekus, an anarchist historian, participated in the 1905 Russian Revolution and spent time in the Siberian gulag for his efforts. Charles Knight (1791-1873) was among the leading publishers of the Victorian era. Taking advantage of his position, Knight combined a commitment to the self-improvement of the working classes with a keen interest in Britain's economic and industrial performance. Capital and Labour, which aims to reconcile industrial mechanization with the "claims of Labour" (p. vii), typifies that combination. This edition synthesises two of Knight's earlier works, The Results of Machinery and Capital and Labour (both 1831), while updating the statistical information deployed in their analysis. Duodecimo (146 x 89 mm). Near-contemporary dark blue quarter morocco, spine panelled and lettered in gilt, raised bands, marbled paper sides and endpapers, edges sprinkled red and black. Light bumping and wear, faint browning, foxing and offsetting to contents: a very good copy.