First Dublin Edition
Inquiry into the Principles of Political Oeconomy. Being an essay on the science of domestic policy in free nations. In which are particularly considered population, agriculture, trade, industry, money, coin, interest, circulation, banks, exchange, public credit, and taxes.
Dublin: Printed for James Williams and Richard Moncrieffe, 1770.
First Dublin edition. Three octavo volumes (8 x 4 7/8 inches; 205 x 125 mm). [10], [i]-xxi, [5], [1, blank], 426, [2, publisher's ads]; [30], 288, 281-424; [8], 431, [1, blank], [19, index], [1, blank] pp. With one folding table, a list of subscribers, and index and two pages of publisher's advertisements.
Uniformly bound in contemporary full sheep. Spines ruled and numbered in gilt. Dark red morocco spine labels, lettered in gilt. All edges speckled red. Minor chipping to head and tail of the spine of volume II. Outer joints starting on volumes I and II, but still firm. Previous owner's old ink notes on front free endpaper of Volume I. Previous owner's signature on half-title of volume I and title-page of volume II. Some foxing and toning throughout, and some occasional light marginal dampstaining. The rear endpapers of each volume with some fraying. Overall a very good copy.
The previous owner's note on the front free endpaper of volume I reads "The Inquiry of Sir James Steuart is learned and profound; but it is clogged with prejudices, and obscured [the "d" is almost invisible] by a stile [sic] uncouth and almost unintelligible; it has therefore been of more utility to author's [sic] than to the Public - Adam Smith, with inferior Powers + less information, but with more art [?] of management, and greater perspicacity [?] of Language, has attracted more attention and been of greater service in stimulating political inquiries."
“The book has been variously appraised; popular for a few years, it was completely overshadowed after 1776 by Smith’s Wealth of Nations but was rediscovered in the nineteenth century by German scholars, who even hailed Steuart as the real founder of economic science. This claim is not wholly invalid. He was the first to set out with some pretense at system the principles of economic policy and to analyze their theoretical basis; and he was also the first writer in English to name his study ‘Political Economy’, i.e. ‘the science of Domestic Policy in free Nations’. Moreover, recognizing the danger of verbal misunderstandings in economic discussions, he set out to elaborate a precise terminology for his science. At many points he made contributions of real interest to economic theory—notably in his discussion of population problems, in his distinction between price and value and his analysis of the component parts of the latter and in his investigation into the ‘balance of demand’ and labor supply, or ‘work’, and the nature and function of competition” (Encyclopædia of the Social Sciences).
“Sir James Steuart had the misfortune to be followed by Adam Smith in less than a decade. Otherwise, his work would probably have served as the standard English economic text” (Carpenter).
HBS 67593.
$3,500.
Price: $3,500.00
Item #67593