Malthus

1807 · AQ28409 — London: Printed for J. Johnson.by T. Bensley 1807. 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. . Fourth edition. 8vo. Printed for J. Johnson...by T. Bensley hardcover