COMMENTARY AND REVIEW OF MONTESQUIEU’S SPIRIT OF LAWS. Prepared for Publication from the Original Manuscript, in the Hands of the Publisher.
Philadelphia: Printed by William Duane, 1811. 292pp. 8vo. Contemporary calf, expertly rebacked, original spine laid down. Early ownership signature to title, Copley Library bookplate. Light toning and foxing throughout. Very good. Housed in a handsome custom green half morocco slipcase with tan leather onlay.
First edition of Destutt de Tracy’s liberal Enlightenment critique of Montesquieu, translated and revised for publication by Thomas Jefferson, who admired de Tracy’s analytical philosophy and saw this work as a corrective to the monarchical tendencies he believed Montesquieu to have excused. Jefferson oversaw its American publication through his political ally and printer William Duane, and though the work bore de Tracy’s name, it was widely understood to reflect Jefferson’s political convictions during his post-presidency.
A work of political theory and republican thought, and a rare imprint with Jefferson’s intellectual fingerprints across the entire project. This example from the famed Copley Library, long considered a touchstone collection of American historical works.
Shaw & Shoemaker 22689. Sabin 96413. Sowerby, Jefferson’s Library, 2327. Cohen 7817.
