- 116
Hobbes, Thomas
Estimate
12,000 - 18,000 USD
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Description
- ink and paper
Leviathan, or The Matter, Forme, & Power of a Common-Wealth Ecclesiastical and Civil. London: Printed for Andrew Crooke, 1651
Small folio (10 3/4 x 6 7/8 in.; 273 x 175 mm). Engraved title divided into compartments, woodcut "head" ornament on letterpress title, folding table placed between pages 40-41, woodcut head-piece and decorative initials; light narrow fore-edge browning throughout, small tear in lower inner corner of engraved title touching platemark, browning in letterpress title with clean tear in upper portion affecting "H" in "Leviathan," quires A, R-X lightly browned, light dampstain in fore-margin of last leaf. Contemporary blind-ruled calf, bibliographical notes on endleaves; rebacked, corners and fore-edges mended, a few scuffs.
Small folio (10 3/4 x 6 7/8 in.; 273 x 175 mm). Engraved title divided into compartments, woodcut "head" ornament on letterpress title, folding table placed between pages 40-41, woodcut head-piece and decorative initials; light narrow fore-edge browning throughout, small tear in lower inner corner of engraved title touching platemark, browning in letterpress title with clean tear in upper portion affecting "H" in "Leviathan," quires A, R-X lightly browned, light dampstain in fore-margin of last leaf. Contemporary blind-ruled calf, bibliographical notes on endleaves; rebacked, corners and fore-edges mended, a few scuffs.
Provenance
Peter Brushell (signature on letterpress title) — Edward Griffith (1790-1858, solicitor and naturalist, engraved armorial bookplate) — Thomas Falconer ("ex Hosp: Lincoln", 1805-1882, inscription on letterpress title) — O.W. Fowler (signature on front pastedown)
Literature
Macdonald & Hargreaves 42; Pforzheimer 491; PMM 138; Wing H2246
Condition
light narrow fore-edge browning throughout, small tear in lower inner corner of engraved title touching platemark, clean tear in upper portion of letterpress title affecting "H" in "Leviathan," quires A, R-X lightly browned, light dampstain in fore-margin of last leaf. Contemporary blind-ruled calf, bibliographical notes on endleaves; rebacked, corners and fore-edges mended, a few scuffs.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE 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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
First edition, first issue. 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).