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Two volumes. xvi, [21]-362; viii, 400 pp. Half titles. Modern cloth and marbled boards, morocco labels. First American edition. 

Printed from the second London edition, considerably revised and expanded from the first edition of 1793.  "...One of the earliest, the clearest, and most absolute theoretical expositions of socialist and anarchist doctrine. Godwin believed that the motives of all human beings were subject to reason, that reason taught benevolence, and that therefore all rational creatures could live in harmony without laws and institutions" - PMM. Within the context of the political climate of the times, the American publication of this cornerstone work was of the greatest significance to its immediate readership and upon succeeding generations. "Through his influence on Thompson and Owen, Godwin contributed greatly to the early socialist movement in America. His opposition to revolution has caused him to be disdained by modern radicals" - Adams. Printing and the Mind of Man 243. Evans 30493. Adams, Radical Literature in America, p.40. Kress B3134. Cohen 5765.