A dissertation on the Numbers of Mankind in antient and modern Times: in which The superior Populousness of Antiquity is maintained. With An appendix, Containing Additional Observations on the same Subject, And Some Remarks on Mr. Hume's Political Discourse, of the Populousness of antient Nations

[WALLACE, Robert]

Published by Printed for G. Hamilton and J. Balfour, Edinburgh, 1753

About this Item

iv, 331pp, [1]. Contemporary gilt-tooled sprinkled calf, contrasting red morocco lettering-piece. Rubbed to spine and extremities, short splits at head of spine, with remains of small paper shelf-label. Bookplate of an Earl of Suffolk and Berkshire to FEP, with a few pencilled calculations to endpapers, and a single inked note in an early hand (to E4v). A crisp copy, in a contemporary binding, of a significant work on the subject of population by Scottish clergyman and philosopher Robert Wallace (1697-1771). Originally delivered as a paper before the Philosophical Society of Edinburgh in the 1740s, Wallace's theories, that the availability of food was correlated with the populousness of nations, that there was an explicit natural growth rate of population, and that the trends towards luxury resulted in modern states providing a natural check on population growth, were disputed by Hume in 'Populousness of Ancient Nations' (Political discourses, Edinburgh, 1752). In publishing this first printed edition in 1753, Wallace added an appendix aimed at countering Hume's rejections. The French edition, with a translation overseen by Montesquieu, appeared the following year. ESTC T145322. Size: 8vo in 4s. Seller Inventory # AQ25625

Bibliographic Details

Title: A dissertation on the Numbers of Mankind in ...

Publisher: Printed for G. Hamilton and J. Balfour, Edinburgh

Publication Date: 1753

Binding: Hardcover

Edition: First edition.