The Oligarchs’ Arithmetic of Plunder
Volume I: The Worker
Leslie St. James
Economic growth does not eliminate the costs of scale. It relocates them. The only open question is who absorbs them, and under what conditions the absorption can be refused.
What the book records
For roughly 30 years after the Second World War, American law made capital absorb its own costs, and a large middle class followed. This volume records how those constraints were removed through the courts, the tax code and the capture of the regulatory agencies, without the repeal of a single major statute. It then follows the fortunes the extraction produced, sector by sector, and asks what the accumulated wealth is now building.
| I | Constraint within capitalismHow the postwar settlement was built, and why it held. |
| II | Capital’s campaign against constraintHow the barriers came down without formal repeal. |
| III | From constraint to extractionThe mechanics, then the named fortunes they produced. |
| IV | From extraction to counterrevolutionWhat the accumulated wealth is now building. |
24 chapters across four parts, with a 172-page bibliography tying every source to the chapter and section it supports.
Where to buy
Volume I is published in three editions.
| Hardcover | Case laminate, 7 × 10 in, 1,160 pages. ISBN 979-8-9963836-2-7. $85.00 |
|---|---|
| Paperback | 6.14 × 9.21 in, 1,200 pages. ISBN 979-8-9963836-0-3. $67.99 |
| Ebook | ISBN 979-8-9963836-1-0. $34.99 |
Both carry the hardcover, the paperback and the ebook. Any bookseller can order the print editions through Ingram, and libraries through Ingram Library Services, by ISBN.
Reviews
A study that is “seminal and groundbreaking”, and “unreservedly recommended” for community and college or university library political, economic and class sociology collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Midwest Book Review, in the October 2026 issues of Library Bookwatch and Internet Bookwatch.
“A massive, erudite work of economic and political history.” Rated 4 stars out of 5.
Clarion Reviews, Foreword, August 2026.
For libraries and booksellers
| Hardcover | Case laminate, 7 × 10 in, 1,160 pages. ISBN 979-8-9963836-2-7. Released October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Paperback | Perfect bound, 6.14 × 9.21 in, 1,200 pages. ISBN 979-8-9963836-0-3 |
| Ebook | ISBN 979-8-9963836-1-0 |
| Published | 31 May 2026 |
| LCCN | 2026914226 |
| Hardcover price | $85.00 US |
| Paperback price | $67.99 US · £54.99 UK · $89.99 CAD |
| Subject | Political economy, social class, labor history |
| Distribution | Ingram Wholesale, through IngramSpark. Available to Ingram Library Services, Gardners and other suppliers. Order by ISBN |
| Trade terms | 42% US, 40% all other markets, returnable |
For reviewers and media
The executive summary is a chapter-by-chapter précis of the volume, written so that a reader can follow the full argument and its evidence without reading the complete text.
Executive summary (PDF, 9 pages) Clarion review (PDF) Midwest Book Review (PDF)
A full review copy in the reviewer’s name is sent on request, in PDF or print.
Librarians and booksellers can order through their usual supplier. For an examination copy, a print review copy, or a copy for an acquisitions committee, email the publisher.