John Stuart Mill - Political Writings - 1991

John Stuart Mill – Political Writings – Franklin Library – 1982

Limited Edition

John Stuart Mill (1806–1873) was among the most systematic and influential political thinkers of the nineteenth century. Educated from early childhood under the rigorous programme of his father James Mill, he was reading Greek at three and studying logic and political economy in his early teens. His adult life was spent in public service at the East India Company, in journalism and political activity, and above all in the sustained development of a liberal philosophy that sought to reconcile individual liberty with social progress. He served one term as Member of Parliament for Westminster and was among the earliest prominent advocates of women's suffrage.

This volume brings together two of Mill's most important works. Considerations on Representative Government, first published in 1861, presents his systematic case for democratic institutions grounded in the active participation of citizens rather than passive submission to authority. Mill examines the conditions under which representative government is possible, the dangers of electoral manipulation and bureaucratic inertia, questions of suffrage, the mode of voting, the structure of parliaments, and the governance of dependencies — setting out a political philosophy of considerable practical detail alongside its theoretical foundations. Utilitarianism, also published in 1861, provides Mill's mature statement and defence of the ethical doctrine he inherited from Jeremy Bentham: that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, and his crucial refinement that pleasures differ not only in quantity but in quality.

The illustrations are by Geoffrey Moss.

- Full genuine leather binding in dark navy
- Spine with raised bands, gold-stamped ornamental panels with dot-and-scroll motifs, and gold lettering
- Gilt page edges
- Silk ribbon marker in burgundy
- Published exclusively for subscribers to the Franklin Library
- Printed in the United States of America

Condition is Fine.

Ships from Germany. Carefully packed in cardboard book mailer with protective wrapping.