A RARE first edition of Das Kapital, Karl Marx’s famous criticism of capitalism, has been put up for sale for £100,000.

Just 1,000 copies of the book were printed for the first edition – the only edition to appear during Marx’s lifetime.

Das Kapital was Marx’s attempt to describe how the capitalist system works and how it will destroy itself. He argues that an economic system based on private profit is unstable and leads to exploitation.

It was published in 1867, by which time the German philosopher was living in London and being financially supported by Friedrich Engels. Marx died in 1883 and two further volumes were posthumously published by Engels, in 1885 and 1894 respectively.

Francis Wheen, a Marx expert, wrote in 1999 that “the history of the twentieth century is Marx’s legacy”.

He added: “Stalin, Mao, Che, Castrothe icons and monsters of the modern age have all presented themselves as his heirs. Whether he would recognise them as such is quite another matter.

“Nevertheless, within 100 years of his death, half the world’s population was ruled by governments that professed Marxism to be their guiding faith.”

London bookshop Peter Harrington Rare Books is now selling a first edition of Das Kapital for £100,000.

Adam Douglas, of Peter Harrington Rare Books, said: “Marx would certainly have raised a thick black eyebrow at our price, although he understood perfectly that the capitalist system tended to produce high-priced luxury goods.

“Marx spent most of his adult life in poverty, but he was a firm believer in the power of literature to change minds, being a prodigious writer whose collected works now fill 50 volumes.”

Last year, a signed copy was sold for £218,500 – more than twice the expected price.