- 459
Hobbes, Thomas
Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 USD
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Description
- Hobbes, Thomas
- Leviathan, Or The Matter, Forme, & Power of a Common-Wealth Ecclesiasticall and Civill. London: Printed for Andrew Crooke, at the Green Dragon in St. Pauls Church-yard, 1651
- paper
Folio (12 5/8 x 8 3/8 in.; 320 x 212 mm). Added engraved allegorical title by Abraham Bosse, woodcut "head" ornament on letterpress title-page, one folded broadside printed table, woodcut headpiece and decorative initials, cancel slip pasted over one word on page 108 line 25; an occasional tiny marginal spot or smudge, quires Q-S very lightly browned, some sidenotes on page 48 defectively printed. Contemporary calf gilt-ruled border with gilt-stamped cornerpieces; hinges neatly mended, corners torn or mended, small crack in upper joint, various scrapes and mends.
Provenance
Dukes of Leeds (engraved armorial bookplate) — James Patrick Ronaldson Lyell (1871–1948, with his penciled acquisition note and code inside upper cover "23/6/30 E.X.W.") — Dr. Archibald Gilpin (Sotheby's, 30 May 1960, lot 145). acquisition: Purchased at the preceding sale through Bernard Quaritch
Literature
Wing H2246; Macdonald & Hargreaves 42; Pforzheimer 491; PMM 138
Condition
an occasional tiny marginal spot or smudge, quires Q-S very lightly browned, some sidenotes on page 48 defectively printed. Contemporary calf gilt-ruled border with gilt-stamped cornerpieces; hinges neatly mended, corners torn or mended, small crack in upper joint, various scrapes and mends.
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, large-paper copy. 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).
A splendid, unsophisticated copy.