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Humanities : Philosophy

The Philosophy department at Shapero Rare Books covers over 2,000 years of history from the pre-Socratic philosophers to signed first editions by Bertrand Russell and A.J. Ayer, with a particular focus on early English editions of Plato, Aristotle, Xenophon, Seneca, Cicero, Marcus Aurelius, Boethius, Machiavelli, Descartes, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, J.S. Mill and more.

See: Bibles & Theology, Classics, Economics, History, Humanities, Law, Occult & Magic, Politics

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  • A scarce octavo edition of Richard Allestree's Whole Duty of Man, bound in gilt-panelled red morocco
    A scarce octavo edition of Richard Allestree's Whole Duty of Man, bound in gilt-panelled red morocco

    ALLESTREE, Richard.
    The Whole Duty of Man, 1702.
    £800.00

  • The second edition of Richard Graham, 1st Viscount Preston's English-language translation of Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy
    The second edition of Richard Graham, 1st Viscount Preston's English-language translation of Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy

    BOETHIUS, Anicius Manlius Severinus; GRAHAM, Richard (1st Viscount Preston).
    Of the Consolation of Philosophy. 1712.
    £500.00

  • The first edition of Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy, in full brown morocco
    The first edition of Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy, in full brown morocco

    RUSSELL, Bertrand.
    History of Western Philosophy 1946.
    £800.00

  • The first posthumous edition of J.S. Mill's greatest work of pure philosophy, A System of Logic
    The first posthumous edition of J.S. Mill's greatest work of pure philosophy, A System of Logic

    MILL, John Stuart
    A System of Logic 1875.
    £350.00

  • Complete set of the first edition of Karl Marx's Das Kapital, 1867-85-94
    Complete set of the first edition of Karl Marx's Das Kapital, 1867-85-94

    MARX, Karl.
    Das Kapital. 1867, 1885, 1894.
    £100,000.00

  • The elusive first American edition of Adam Smith's first book, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, published by Anthony Finley in Philadelphia in 1817
    The elusive first American edition of Adam Smith's first book, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, published by Anthony Finley in Philadelphia in 1817

    SMITH, Adam.
    The Theory of Moral Sentiments; 1817.
    £15,000.00

  • The first edition of this non-fiction work by H.G. Wells on the future of mankind, inscribed by him to his sonGeorge Philip Wells.
    The first edition of this non-fiction work by H.G. Wells on the future of mankind, inscribed by him to his sonGeorge Philip Wells.

    WELLS, H.G.
    The Salvaging of Civilization. 1921.
    £1,500.00

  • A strong impression in contemporary mottled calf of the first edition of Gilbert Burnet's English-langauge translation of Thomas More's Utopia
    A strong impression in contemporary mottled calf of the first edition of Gilbert Burnet's English-langauge translation of Thomas More's Utopia

    MORE, Sir Thomas; [BURNET, Gilbert (translator)].
    Utopia: 1684.
    £3,000.00

  • The first edition, first impression of Karl Popper's critique of
    The first edition, first impression of Karl Popper's critique of

    POPPER, Karl.
    The Poverty of Historicism. 1957.
    £250.00

  • The first edition, first printing of J.S. Mill's essay defining the meaning of Utilitarianism, and the school of philosophy associated with the idea
    The first edition, first printing of J.S. Mill's essay defining the meaning of Utilitarianism, and the school of philosophy associated with the idea

    MILL, John Stuart.
    Utilitarianism. 1863.
    £7,500.00

  • The first edition in English of the Mémoires of François, Duke de la Rochefoucauld, an important record of life at the court of Louis XIII
    The first edition in English of the Mémoires of François, Duke de la Rochefoucauld, an important record of life at the court of Louis XIII

    LA ROCHEFOUCAULD, François (Duke de).
    The Memoirs of the Duke de La Rochefoucault. 1683.
    £2,250.00

  • A beautifully bound set of the collected works of Sir Francis Bacon, Lord Verulam, Viscount St. Alban, English polymath and statesman who served as Lord Chancellor of England
    A beautifully bound set of the collected works of Sir Francis Bacon, Lord Verulam, Viscount St. Alban, English polymath and statesman who served as Lord Chancellor of England

    BACON, Francis.
    The Works of Francis Bacon, 1765.
    £3,000.00

  • The Complete Psychological Works in Egliohs translation of Sigmund Freud, published by the Hogarth press, all but six of the volumes are first editions, first impressions
    The Complete Psychological Works in Egliohs translation of Sigmund Freud, published by the Hogarth press, all but six of the volumes are first editions, first impressions

    FREUD, Sigmund.
    The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud. 1953-1974.
    £1,500.00

  • The Nonesuch Press edition of The Confessions of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, widely considered the first modern autobiography
    The Nonesuch Press edition of The Confessions of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, widely considered the first modern autobiography

    [NONESUCH PRESS]; ROUSSEAU, Jean Jacques.
    The Confessions of J.J. Rousseau, 1938.
    £250.00

  • The first edition in English of Friedrich von Gentz' On the State of Europe, an important reply to Napoleon Bonaparte's manifesto on 1800
    The first edition in English of Friedrich von Gentz' On the State of Europe, an important reply to Napoleon Bonaparte's manifesto on 1800

    GENTZ, Friedrich von; HERRIES, Charles John (translator).
    On the State of Europe 1802.
    £450.00

  • A handsome copy of Richard Allestree's The Gentleman's Calling, bound in modern black morocco gilt by Alan Winstanley of Salisbury Binders
    A handsome copy of Richard Allestree's The Gentleman's Calling, bound in modern black morocco gilt by Alan Winstanley of Salisbury Binders

    [ALLESTREE, Richard].
    The Gentleman's Calling. 1667.
    £800.00

  • An early edition of this courtesy book by Henry Peacham offering guidance on how to conduct oneself as a gentleman
    An early edition of this courtesy book by Henry Peacham offering guidance on how to conduct oneself as a gentleman

    PEACHAM, Henry.
    The Compleat Gentleman: 1661.
    £950.00

  • An excellent example of the Nonesuch Press of Bernard de Fontenelle's A Plurality of Worlds
    An excellent example of the Nonesuch Press of Bernard de Fontenelle's A Plurality of Worlds

    [NONESUCH PRESS]; FONTENELLE, Bernard de.
    A Plurality of Worlds. 1929.
    £300.00

  • The first edition of this collection of 134 traditional proverbs compiled by the churchman Samuel Palmer
    The first edition of this collection of 134 traditional proverbs compiled by the churchman Samuel Palmer

    PALMER, Samuel.
    Moral Essays 1710.
    £450.00

  • The first UK edition, first impression of Bertrand Russell's classic History of Western Philosophy.
    The first UK edition, first impression of Bertrand Russell's classic History of Western Philosophy.

    RUSSELL, Bertrand.
    History of Western Philosophy 1946.
    £1,100.00

  • An early, lifetime edition of William Paley's View of the Evidences of Christianity
    An early, lifetime edition of William Paley's View of the Evidences of Christianity

    PALEY, William.
    A View of the Evidences of Christianity. 1800.
    £300.00

  • The Mostellaria of Plautus
    The Mostellaria of Plautus

    PLAUTUS; RAMSAY, William & George (editor).
    The Mostellaria of Plautus 1869.
    £450.00

  • The first edition of Joseph Glanvill's attack on nonconformist Christianity, Seasonable Reflections and Discourses
    The first edition of Joseph Glanvill's attack on nonconformist Christianity, Seasonable Reflections and Discourses

    GLANVILL, Joseph.
    Seasonable Reflections and Discourses 1676.
    £900.00

  • An early edition of this anthology of Morall Philosophie drawn from a range of classic sources by William Baldwin
    An early edition of this anthology of Morall Philosophie drawn from a range of classic sources by William Baldwin

    BALDWIN, William; PALFREYMAN, Thomas.
    A Treatise of Morall Philosophie: [1620].
    £1,500.00

  • The first edition in English of book one of Philipp Camerarius' Operae horarum subcisivarum, his Historical Meditations
    The first edition in English of book one of Philipp Camerarius' Operae horarum subcisivarum, his Historical Meditations

    CAMERARIUS, Philipp; MOLLE, John (translator).
    [Operae horarum subcisivarum]. 1621.
    £950.00

  • An early Glasgow edition of Voltaire's Letters Concerning the English Nation, precipitated by his exile to Great Britain in 1726
    An early Glasgow edition of Voltaire's Letters Concerning the English Nation, precipitated by his exile to Great Britain in 1726

    VOLTAIRE (pseud. AROUET, François-Marie).
    Letters Concerning the English Nation. 1759.
    £750.00

  • A sweet example of the collected esays of Francis Bacon and Lord Clarendon, in contempoorary blind-tooled calf by Feaston
    A sweet example of the collected esays of Francis Bacon and Lord Clarendon, in contempoorary blind-tooled calf by Feaston

    BACON, Francis [and] CLARENDON, Edward, Earl of.
    Essays, Moral, Economical, and Political [bound with] Lord Clarendon's Essays. 1819.
    £225.00

  • The first edition of Alexander Bain's biogrpahy of James Mill, father of the philosopher J.S. Mill
    The first edition of Alexander Bain's biogrpahy of James Mill, father of the philosopher J.S. Mill

    BAIN, Alexander.
    James Mill. A Biography. 1882.
    £125.00

  • An early parallel text edition in English and Latin of The Secret Instructions of the Jesuits, an anti-Jesuit tract attributed to Hieronim Zahorowski
    An early parallel text edition in English and Latin of The Secret Instructions of the Jesuits, an anti-Jesuit tract attributed to Hieronim Zahorowski

    [ZAHOROWSKI, Hieronim].
    Secreta Monita Societatis Jesu. 1723.
    £675.00

  • The first edition of Lester Ward's Dynamic Sociology, his major work which helped establish sociology as a distinct field of study in the United States.
    The first edition of Lester Ward's Dynamic Sociology, his major work which helped establish sociology as a distinct field of study in the United States.

    WARD, Lester F.
    Dynamic Sociology, 1883.
    £2,500.00

  • The Mechanical Bride:
    The Mechanical Bride:

    MCLUHAN, Herbert Marshall.
    The Mechanical Bride: 1951.
    £1,250.00

  • The first edition of these collected articles by Søren Kierkegaard attacking Christendom, seeking to restore the individual's relationship to God.
    The first edition of these collected articles by Søren Kierkegaard attacking Christendom, seeking to restore the individual's relationship to God.

    KIERKEGAARD, Søren.
    Kierkegaard's Attack Upon "Christendom" 1854-1855. 1946.
    £375.00

  • The first UK edition of Kierkegaard's great philosophical novel Repetition, an existential work on atonement and furture recollection.
    The first UK edition of Kierkegaard's great philosophical novel Repetition, an existential work on atonement and furture recollection.

    KIERKEGAARD, Søren.
    Repetition. 1942.
    £875.00

  • The Workes of Sir Thomas More Knyght, the first collected edition of More's English texts, edited by his nephew William Rastell and published under Mary I<br />
    The Workes of Sir Thomas More Knyght, the first collected edition of More's English texts, edited by his nephew William Rastell and published under Mary I<br />

    MORE, Sir Thomas.
    The Workes of Sir Thomas More Knyght, 1557.
    £27,500.00

  • The second edition of Jonas Hanway's entertaining musings on various subjects, including an invective against tea, considered dangerous for the health
    The second edition of Jonas Hanway's entertaining musings on various subjects, including an invective against tea, considered dangerous for the health

    [HANWAY, Jonas].
    A Journal of Eight Days Journey from Portsmouth to Kingston upon Thames; 1757.
    £950.00

  • London Labour and the London poor;
    London Labour and the London poor;

    MAYHEW, Henry.
    London Labour and the London poor; n.d. (1-3) & 1862.
    £2,250.00

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