Page 21 - Catálogo #78 2020 Bostn Virtual Book Fair
P. 21

Librería José Porrúa Turanzas                 2020 Boston Virtual Book Fair


 11.  LORIMER,  John.  A  concise  essay                        12. MALTHUS, Thomas Robert. Principes
 on Magnetism; with an account of the                           d’Economie Politique considerés sous le
 declination and inclination of the Mag-                        Raport de leur aplication pratique. Paris,
 netic Needle. London, W. Faden, 1795.                          Guillaumin & Cie., 1846. 4to (233 x 145)
 Folio. xv-34 pp., 6 large folding pates.                       mm.  xxxvi-550  pp.  Contemporary  half
 Editor’s bindin.   1,000 € / US$ $1,150                        calf.                      650 € / US$ $750

 First edition, with all its marins, of this                    Second French edition of this work on po-
 interesting  bok  regarding  terrestrial                       litical economy, first published in English
 magnetism.  John  Lorimer  describes                           in 1820. Although Malthus is best known
 his  “Universal  Magnetic  needle”,  the                       for his essays on Population, there is no
 prototype of which was constructed in                          doubt of the importance of this book to
 1864 by Jeremiah Sisson. The instru-                           economists. It was because of this work
 ment measured both the horizontal di-                          that J.M. Keynes reinstalled Malthus as
 rection and dip of the earth’s magnetic                        an important figure in modern economic
 field.  The  needle  never  was  popular                       thought, at a time when the self-induced
 probably because it was too elaborate.                         redundancy of the Population Essay was
 Extraordinary uncut copy in the origi-                         about to reduce Malthus to the category
 nal binding.                                                   of a historical monument.










 — 20 —                                                  — 21 —
   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26