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Contemporary brown, full, panelled mottled calf; expertly rebacked with original spine preserved; covers with blind double fillet, embossed at all corners; spine with five raised bands and gilt lettered title on burgundy morocco label on two; all edges marbled. , Text in English. Second and pirated edition printed not long after its first 1651 London edition; the printer?s device points to its having been printed in Amsterdam (see notes). Leviathan or The Matter, Forme and Power of a Commonwealth Ecclesiastical and Civil, commonly referred to as Leviathan, ? derives [its name] from the biblical Leviathan. The work concerns the structure of society and legitimate government, and is regarded as one of the earliest and most influential examples of social contract theory. Written during the English Civil War (1642?1651), it argues for a social contract and rule by an absolute sovereign. Hobbes wrote that civil war and the brute situation of a state of nature ("the war of all against all") could be avoided only by strong, undivided government. This later printing can be identified by the bear [and foliage] vignette to the printed title ? Almost immediately after the publication of Leviathan, critics began to publish scathing attacks on Hobbes? arguments. The Catholic Church placed Leviathan on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, and Oxford dismissed faculty who were sympathetic to Hobbes? views. Despite, or perhaps because of, this notoriety, Leviathan enjoyed tremendous popularity?a fact which is can be seen in its early publication history?.After the appearance of the first edition in 1651, any further printing of Leviathan in the vernacular was prohibited. Nevertheless, the book remained in high demand. Consequently, 17th-century publishers were reluctant to put their own name to the publication but were even more reluctant to miss out on an opportunity for profit? In the ?bear? edition, the errata list is identical to that of the ?head? edition, but some of the mistakes have been corrected in the text, and the engraved title page shows signs of wear to the plate. The Italic typeface used in the ?bear? edition is unlikely to have been used in England before the end of the 17th century. Macdonald and Hargreaves traced the bear ornament in other publications, revealing that it was used only in books printed in Holland between 1617 and 1670, suggesting that this edition was most likely printed in Holland not long after 1651. , Size : Small Folio (293x183mm) , Illustrated with copper-engraved allegorical title and printer?s woodcut device of bear and foliage on printed title, elaborate woodcut headpiece and woodcut initials; insert of oversize folding table demonstrating the categorisation of subjects and knowledge., References : Macdonald & Hargreaves, Hobbes 43; c.f. PMM 138; Pforzheimer 491; Wing H2247., Pp: bl., illustrated title, printed title, dedication, contents, introduction 1-2, insert folding table, 3-394, bl.; collation: bl., illustr. title, printed title, A2-4, folding table, B1-Z4, Aa1-Zz4, Aaa1-Ddd4, bl. Contemporary boards, expertly rebacked, saving the original spine. Wide-margined paper, Overall, a clean and near fine example of this rare, second and pirated issue of Hobbes' masterpiece by then prohibited by both the Catholic church and English censors.
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