1st US Edition of ‘Enquiry Concerning Political Justice’ by W Godwin in 2 Vols – 1796
PRESENTING AN EXTREMELY RARE FIRST US EDITION hardback copy of “Enquiry Concerning Political Justice and Its Influence on Morals and Happiness by William Godwin, First American from the Second London Edition Corrected in Two Volumes, Printed by Bioran and Madan, Philadelphia 1796.
These RARE books are in good condition for their age with some ‘knicks’ on the edges of the vellum spine and cover, but otherwise very GOOD. The text is good, some foxing, as one would expect from books this old.
Vellum with gold lettering.
AS AN ADDED BONUS -the Books comes with a Label belonging to it’s original owner, Major William Alexander Obenchain, a Civil War personality who served on General Robert E. Lee’s Staff, and after the War became President of Ogden College in Bowling Green, KY (now the University of Western Kentucky). He has numbered the Books No. 10 & 11 in his Collection.
They are also signed by their First Owner – Dr. Eleazer Sweetland of Botetourt County, VA (W.A. Obenchain’s grandfather) – one dated 4th January 1832 and the other Jan 21, 1833.
One is also signed by Elizabeth Anne Sweetland (mother of WA Obenchain), who inherited them from her father, Eleazer.
These books were part of the extensive private collection of the Calvert Hall/Obenchain Collection/Estate, formerly of Bowling Green, KY and later, Highland Park, Texas.
As you can see from the Provenance, these Books were ‘handed down’, through the Sweetland/Van Meter/Obenchain Families, since the very Early 19th Century.
They have remained in Family Ownership until NOW.
YOU WILL NOT FIND THESE BOOKS ANYWHERE ELSE
What makes these Books SPECIAL are that:-
(1) They are a VERY RARE First US Edition and
(2) they were owned (and signed) by a prominent early Virginia Settler, Dr. Eleazer Sweetland, and
(3) were owned/inherited by his grandson and Civil War personality (Major W.A. Obenchain)
William Alexander Obenchain. Born April 27, 1841 at Buchanan, Botetourt Co., Virginia.
Parents: Thomas Jefferson Obenchain and Elizabeth Ann Sweetland.
Entered VMI on July 18, 1859 as a member of the VMI (Virginia Military Institute) Class of 1862 and was graduated (1st in his class) in December 1861–this class was graduated early due to the Civil War.
Served in various capacities as an Engineer officer throughout the Civil War. At rank of Captain he was a senior ranking officer in the Virginia Corps of Engineers and served on Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Staff.
He was promoted to the rank of Major, for meritorious conduct near Richmond in 1864.
Post-War Career- Educator.
Taught at Hillsborough Military Academy (NC), Pittsboro (NC) Military Academy, Western Military Acad. (New Castle, KY), University of Nashville, Ogden College, Bowling Green, KY.
Married Eliza Calvert Hall (famous Author) of Bowling Green in 1885.
Obenchain died August 17, 1916 at his home in Bowling Green, age 75.
Enquiry Concerning Political Justice and its Influence on Morals and Happiness is a 1793 book by the philosopher William Godwin, in which the author outlines his political philosophy. It is the first modern work to elucidate anarchism. First published in Britain/UK in 1793 by G.G and J. Robinson and first published in the US, by Bioran and Madan, Philadelphia in 1796.
Despite being published during the French Revolution, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the lead up to the 1794 Treason Trials in Britain, Political Justice argues that humanity will inevitably progress: it argues for human perfectibility and enlightenment. McCann explains that “Political Justice is … first and foremost a critique of political institutions. Its vision of human perfectibility is anarchist in so far as it sees government and related social practices such as property monopoly, marriage and monarchy as restraining the progress of mankind.” Godwin believed that government “insinuates itself into our personal dispositions, and insensibly communicates its own spirit to our private transactions”.[3] Instead, Godwin proposes a society in which human beings use their reason to decide the best course of action. The very existence of governments, even those founded through consensus, demonstrates that people cannot yet regulate their conduct by the dictates of reason.
Godwin argued that the link between politics and morality had been severed and he wanted to restore it. McCann explains that in Godwin’s vision, “as public opinion develops in accordance with the dictates of reason, so too should political institutions change until, finally, they will wither away altogether, leaving the people to organize themselves into what would be a direct democracy.” Godwin believed that the public could be rational; he wrote: “Opinion is the most potent engine that can be brought within the sphere of political society. False opinion, superstition and prejudice, have hitherto been the true supporters of usurpation and despotism. Enquiry, and the improvement of the human mind, are now shaking to the center those bulwarks that have so long held mankind in thraldom.”
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enquiry_Concerning_Political_Justice
IF YOU COLLECT ANTIQUARIAN and HISTORICAL BOOKS/MANUSCRIPTS
IF YOU COLLECT EARLY AMERICANA
THEN THIS BOOK IS ESSENTIAL FOR YOUR COLLECTION
1st US Edition of ‘Enquiry Concerning Political Justice’ by W Godwin in 2 Vols – 1796
Provenance: Part of the Calvert Hall/Obenchain Collection/Estate.
Dimensions: Each is 7.2″ x 4.8″
Condition: Good ORIGINAL CONDITION.
SALE PRICE NOW: $2,999 (Set of 2)
