Rare family association copy. A rare, family association copy of Bertrand Russell's first major philosophical work.

With the dated ownership inscription of Hannah Pearsall Smith (1832-1911), Russell's mother-in-law — whom he came to think 'one of the wickedest people I had ever known' (Autobiography) — from his marriage to his first wife Alys Pearsall Smith, in pen to the front free endpaper, the printed author's compliment slip tipped-in below.

The Philosophy of Leibniz arose out of a series of lectures given by Russell at Cambridge during the Lent term of 1899. It was published the following year with some alteration of text and an appendix of 'leading passages' extracted from Leibniz's works and translated into English by Russell in support of his exposition.

The work marks a major turning-point in Russell's intellectual career away from the British idealism fostered in his undergraduate years towards his initial advances in mathematical logic that resulted ten-years later in the Principia Mathematica and the development of the analytic school of philosophy.

In the book Russell presents what he describes as 'a reconstruction of the system which Leibniz should have written' (p.2), two fundamental tenets of which are that 'all sound philosophy should begin with an analysis of propositions' (p.8) and that 'every proposition has a subject and a predicate' (p.14). The first of these Russell accepts, the second he rejects, leading him to claim that if Leibniz had admitted the existence of relational propositions, he would have had no case for denying, as he did, the reality of relations (ODNB).

'Accident led me to read Leibniz, because he had to be lectured upon, and McTaggart wanted to go to New Zealand, so that the College asked me to take his place so far as this one course concerned. In the study and criticism of Leibniz I found occasion to exemplify the new views on logic to which, largely under Moore's guidance, I had been led' (Autobiography).

First edition, first impression; 8vo (23 x 15 cm); dated ownership inscription in pen to front free endpaper recto, printed author's compliments slip tipped-in below, small tear to free endpaper gutter-margin repaired in tape, light spotting; publisher's blue cloth ruled in blind, spine lettered in gilt, fore-edge uncut, small split to foot of upper joint, spine ends and corners slightly rubbed, very good; xvi, [2], 311, [1]pp.

Blackwell/Ruja A4.1a.