The State of the Prisons in England and Wales, with Preliminary Observations, and an account of some Foreign Prisons; [together with:] Appendix to the State of the Prisons in England and Wales, containing a farther account of Foreign Prisons and Hospitals, with additional remarks on the Prisons of this Country.

HOWARD, John.

Edité par Warrington: printed by William Eyres, and sold by T. Cadell, and N. Conant, London, 1777 & 1780

A propos de cet article

First edition of Howard's pioneering work on prisons and penal reform, "the first major practical work on the subject" (PMM), with the 1780 Appendix; the copy of the penal reformer Edward Harbord, 3rd Baron Suffield (1781-1835), with his bookplate to the front pastedowns and his devices to the spines. Harbord was MP for Great Yarmouth from 1806 to 1812, re-entering parliament in 1820 for Shaftesbury. In this second term Harbord "was assiduous, directing his efforts to prison reform, serving on a House of Commons select committee on the subject and publishing a pamphlet on the conditions in Norfolk county gaol, and poor relief" (ODNB). In 1821 he entered the Lords, where his main activity was to promote the cause of the abolition of slavery. The State of the Prisons in England and Wales, based on hundreds of visits by the author to English and foreign prisons, joins Cesare Beccaria's On Crimes and Punishments as the two great penological works of the 18th century. Whereas Beccaria's treatise was chiefly theoretical, Howard's was primarily practical, intended for immediate application rather than abstract theorizing. The book's impact was instantaneous, with a bill passed establishing two penitentiaries on the lines of those Howard recommended. ESTC T153060 & T152722; Goldsmiths' 11625; Printing and the Mind of Man 224. Two works in 2 vols, quarto (276 x 209 mm). 3 folding engraved plates in first vol.; 7 folding plates in Appendix. Early 19th-century calf, green and calf labels, spines gilt in compartments with heraldic motifs, yellow edges. Joints and extremities neatly restored, light offsetting from plates and slight toning to Appendix else contents clean and crisp, an excellent copy.

N° de réf. du vendeur 156897

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: The State of the Prisons in England and Wales, with Preliminary Observations, and an account of some Foreign Prisons; [together with:] Appendix to the State of the Prisons in England and Wales, containing a farther account of Foreign Prisons and Hospitals, with additional remarks on the Prisons of this Country.
• Éditeur: Warrington: printed by William Eyres, and sold by T. Cadell, and N. Conant, London, 1777 & 1780
• Édition: Edition originale