Aristotle

First edition in English of Politiques by Aristotle, one of the most influential political treatises in history.

• Aristotle (Greek).
• Translated by I.D. [John Dickenson].
• London: Adam Islip, 1598.
• Folio.
• [30], 393, [4], [1] pages.
• Illustrated with woodcut initials and head- and tailpieces.
• Text collated complete, lacking first and final blanks (A1, NN6), as common.
• Table of chapters and errata at rear.
• Modern period-style full brown goatskin, gilt rules, central gilt ornaments and cornerpieces, elaborately gilt-stamped spine, red speckled edges.

The works of Aristotle, especially his Ethics and companion Politics, were considered foundational reading for any educated person from the Renaissance forward: all modern philosophers working in the Western tradition build upon or react against his work, from Thomas Hobbes and John Locke to Karl Marx. According to Randolph Greenfield Adams, "There are indeed few fields of thought in which it is so true that the would-be contributor finds that his 'contribution' has already been made by someone else, and almost certainly by Aristotle, as it is in the field of politics" (132). His Politics has had a direct impact on major historical turning points such as the American Revolution, which was characterized by putting Aristotle's "theories and doctrines into practice" (134).

Central to Aristotle's approach in this book is the idea that "man is by nature a political animal" (Rackham translation). His conclusions rarely match today's views, yet Politics "offers every reader entry into reflection on political life by raising fundamental questions: What is the aim of political community? Why should some people govern others? Who should count as a citizen?" (Deslauriers & Destrée 3). As the editors of Printing And The Mind Of Man put it, "his method still underlies all modern thinking."