Kant, Immanuel

8vo (204 x 122mm.), woodcut initials, head- and tailpieces, early nineteenth-century German marbled boards, printed green paper label on spine, occasional light foxing, joints and edges slightly torn

Norman 1197; PMM 226

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"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."

FIRST EDITION of Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, his first major treatise which made his reputation. "Kant's great achievement was to conclude finally the lines on which philosophical speculation had proceeded in the eighteenth century, and to open up a new and more comprehensive system of dealing with the problems of philosophy... The influence of Kant is paramount in the critical method of modern philosophy" (PMM).

Kant, a native of Königsberg, became professor of logic and metaphysics there in 1770. His major works were printed in Riga by Hartknoch, who by this time had the largest publishing and bookselling business of the Baltic states, and also published the works of Kant's student Johann Gottfried von Herder. Hartknoch had begun his printing career in Königsberg at the shop of Johann Jacob Kanter, with whom Kant had lived from 1766 to 1777, though Kanter had stopped printing by 1781.