An Essay on the Principle of Population or, a View of its Past and Present Effects on Human Happiness

T. R. Malthus [Thomas Robert Malthus]

Published by J. Johnson, by T. Bensley, London, 1803

About this Item

The important and heavily revised second edition of Thomas Robert Malthus's discussion of the problems of a growing human population. First published in 1798, this is the substantially revised, enlarged and re-written second edition of Malthus's important work.Malthus's work - which posits that the human population will outgrow the supply of food and resources - fuelled the debate on the size of the British population, and contributed to the passion of the Census Act of 1800.A key argument within the book was dedicated to what is now known as the Malthusian Law of Population, theorising that growing population rates will lead to a rising supply of labour, inevitably lowering wages and leading to poverty.With the armorial bookplate of James Frampton to the front pastedown, along side the former owner's ink inscription of N.B. Hobbs. Hobbs's inscription is also present to the recto of a front blank.This second edition incorporated details of population controls that had been used in various countries and periods. In a contemporary calf binding, with light rubbing to boards. Minor loss to tail of spine label. Hinges neatly repaired. Retaining the original endpapers. Bookplate and inscription to front pastedown, with further inscription to a front blank. Internally, firmly bound. Significant spotting to endpapers and to first and final leaves. Pages bright, with scattered further areas of concentrated spotting throughout. Very Good.

Seller Inventory # 924F45D

Bibliographic Details

• Title: An Essay on the Principle of Population or, a View of its Past and Present Effects on Human Happiness
• Publisher: J. Johnson, by T. Bensley, London
• Publication Date: 1803
• Binding: Leather
• Illustrator: None
• Condition: Very Good
• Book Type: book