Henry J. AbrahamABAA
FREEWILL FOREKNOWLEDGE AND FATE. A FRAGMENT
1763WRCLIT65699London: Printed for R. and J. Dodsley 1763. xxxi1 errata268pp. Octavo. Modern half calf and marbled boards raised bands gilt label. Old divinity school stamp on title minor foxing but a very good copy very neatly bound. First edition. The pseudonymously published prelude to Tucker's magnum opus THE LIGHT OF NATURE PURSUED. This "1763 fragment was strongly criticized in the MONTHLY REVIEW to which Tucker provided a humorous reply MAN IN QUEST OF HIMSELF under the new pseudonym Cuthbert Comment. In 1768 again using the pseudonym Edward Search he published the first four volumes of his book; the last three volumes were posthumously published under the editorship of his daughter Judith in 1778 . Although an occasionally eccentric and digressive text THE LIGHT OF NATURE PURSUED enjoyed a high reputation from its first appearance. In the introduction to his MORAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY 1785 William Paley emphasized his deep indebtedness to Tucker in expounding his ethical theory. Paley considered Tucker to be a very original thinker. His work was also highly praised by Sir James MacIntosh who had used his ideas in his lectures on ethics ." - DNB. Tucker's writings were also read and admired by among others Coleridge Godwin and Hazlett and the latter undertook an abridgement of the full work published in 1807. ESTC locates ten copies in North America and OCLC adds a few more but this work is uncommon in the trade. ESTC T117455. NCBEL II: 1893. Printed for R. and J. Dodsley hardcover books
