An essay on the principle of population; or, a view of its past and present effects on human happiness; with an inquiry into our prospects respecting the future removal or mitigation of the evils which it occasions

MALTHUS, T[homas] R[obert]

Edité par Printed for J. Johnson.by T. Bensley, London, 1807

A propos de cet article

In two volumes. xvi, 580; vii, 484pp, [60]. With half-titles. Contemporary gilt-ruled half-calf, marbled paper boards, contrasting green and tan calf lettering-pieces, marbled edges. Lightly rubbed, corners exposed. Hinges exposed, later inked ownership inscription of Arthur Johnson to recto of front blank fly-leaf of Vol. I, very occasional light spotting. The fourth edition, greatly extended from the anonymous first of 1798, of this cornerstone of early studies of demography and an influential work in the history of political economy. Contrary to the prevailing Whig theory of history, English cleric and scholar Thomas Robert Malthus (1766-1834) argued that the agricultural output of modern Britain would not be able to support the rapid population growth witnessed in the eighteenth-century, and thus that society would return to earlier subsistence levels following catastrophic outbreaks of disease and famine. The second edition of 1803 was substantially revised and extended to include observations made from European data, and, most notably, the recognition that human agency and especially moral restraint could alleviate the plight of the poorest elements of society. The third edition of 1806 added an appendix in which Malthus replied to his many contemporary critics. This fourth edition incorporates all of the previous revisions and additions. Provenance: Arthur Henry Johnson (1845-1927), historian and chaplain of All Souls College, Oxford; author of, inter alia, The history of the Worshipful Company of the Drapers of London (Oxford, 1914-22) and The disappearance of the small landowner (Oxford, 1909). Size: 8vo.

N° de réf. du vendeur AQ28409

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: An essay on the principle of population; or, a view of its past and present effects on human happiness; with an inquiry into our prospects respecting the future removal or mitigation of the evils which it occasions
• Éditeur: Printed for J. Johnson.by T. Bensley, London
• Date de parution: 1807
• Reliure: Couverture rigide
• Édition: Fourth edition.