- 29
Hobbes, Thomas
Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 GBP
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Description
- Hobbes, Thomas
- Leviathan, or The matter, forme, & power of a common-wealth ecclesiasticall and civill. [Thomas Warren and Richard Cotes] for Andrew Crooke, 1651
- paper
folio, FIRST EDITION, first issue with "Head" ornament on title page, additional engraved allegorical title by Abraham Bosse, woodcut "head" ornament on letterpress title-page, one folded broadside printed table, woodcut headpiece and decorative initials, contemporary calf, red edges, rebacked, engraved title browned and stained with some minor edge tears, some other leaves browned or foxed, a few tiny holes or tears in margins, occasional marginal staining
Provenance
"Robt Yonge", early ownership signature on title page
Literature
Wing H2246; Macdonald & Hargreaves 42; Pforzheimer 491; PMM 138
Condition
Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing unless otherwise stated
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
First edition, first issue, of Hobbes's masterpiece of political theory formed on the experience of the English Civil War, in which the State is seen as an artificial monster to which individuals submit for their own survival. "This book produced a fermentation in English thought not surpassed until the advent of Darwinism. Its importance may be gauged by the long list of assailants it aroused. It was placed on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum 7 May 1703, though all Hobbes's works had previously been condemned in toto, and it still remains a model of vigorous exposition, unsurpassed in the language" (Pforzheimer).