De l'homme, de ses facultés intellectuelles et de son éducation.

HELVÉTIUS, Claude Adrien.

Published by Londres, Société Typographique [recte The Hague], 1773., 1773

About this Item

Two vols, 8vo, pp. xxxii, 326; [4], 412; some very minor browning; a very good copy in contemporary quarter calf, gilt lettering-pieces; corners scuffed and spine worn, especially the head and tail.A rare edition, published in the same year as the first, which appeared in mid-June 1773, eighteen months after the author's death. 'In this edition, there is no comma after "intellectuelles", line 6 of title reads "et de son"and the titlepage ornament is a flower with leaves around the petals' (Smith). Published posthumously due to persecution, this work expands the core principles first set out in De l'Esprit: that all men are born equal and inequality in wealth is due to inequality in education. Helvetius 'inveighed against what he regarded as the two major obstacles to the triumph of a hedonistic ethics founded on the standard of public utility namely, Christianity with its irrational dogmas and ascetic, otherworldly morality and the feudal structure, economic inequalities, and autocratic practices of the ancien régime' (Encyclopedia of Philosophy). De l'Homme was a great publishing success: this was one of four editions to appear in 1773, a further four appeared the following year, with five more by the end of the century. Before the French Revolution the work had appeared in English, German and Danish translations. The Société Typographique de Londres was a partnership between Pierre Frédéric Gosse of The Hague and David Boissière of London. Smith, Helvetius H.3; ESTC T232309 (3 copies only: Cambridge, Swindon, Ghent). Seller Inventory # G1965

Bibliographic Details

Title: De l'homme, de ses facultés intellectuelles ...

Publisher: Londres, Société Typographique [recte The Hague], 1773.

Publication Date: 1773

Binding: Hardcover