Montesquieu - De l'esprit des lois - 1791

Fascinating four-volume ensemble on this fundamental reflection on the nature of laws and their relation to human societies in all their diversity -

The author develops a comparative analysis of political systems, seeking to understand the principles underlying different regimes such as republics, monarchy, and despotism. He establishes that laws are not universal but depend on multiple factors such as climate, religion, customs, the economy, and the history peculiar to each people -

One of the major contributions of the work lies in the theory of the separation of powers, according to which the legislative, executive, and judicial functions must be distinct in order to guarantee political liberty and to avoid abuses of power -

Montesquieu emphasizes the importance of institutional checks and balances and moderation as essential principles of good government. He relies on numerous historical examples, notably drawn from Antiquity and England, to illustrate his analyses and support his arguments -

The edition also offers reflections on civil, criminal, and political laws, examining their effects on citizens and on the stability of states. The style combines analytical rigor with a wealth of erudition, giving the whole work a scientific and philosophical scope -

Montesquieu - Spirit of the Laws - 1791 - Volume I, II, III and IV -
cxx + 430 + xxiv + 362 + xxiv + 440 + xii + 576 pages -

Good condition of bindings, works in their full calfskin bindings of the period, wear from use, some scuffs on the caps, slight corner wear, marbled edges, smooth spine ornamented, gilded titles on brown morocco pieces, gilt lettering on green morocco pieces, cold-stamped lines in the surrounding borders -

Good interior condition, browning, tailpieces, fine title-page vignette, new edition, revised, corrected & considerably enlarged by the Author, marbled endpapers in acceptable condition, ex-libris J. M. Crozet, Presbyter -

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