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in vol. I. Second volume with bookplate of James Hamilton, Duke of Hamilton & Brandon, to front pastedown; old bookseller’s descriptions loosely inserted; a few pencilled annotations to contents. Endpapers soiled, contents crisp, generally clean aside from very sporadic soiling, a few very minor peripheral paper repairs and short closed tears. An excellent set. ¶ ESTC T129566; Goldsmiths’ 6496; INED 713; Kress 3677. David A. Bell, The Cult of the Nation in France , Harvard UP, 2003. £3,500 [141842] 27 BRAY, John Francis. Labour’s Wrongs and Labour’s Remedy. Leeds: Published by David Green, 1839 The author’s major contribution to socialist political economy First edition of Bray’s major contribution to socialist political economy. Bray, who based this book on a series of lectures which he delivered to the Leeds Working Men’s Association in 1837, is often considered to be “the most effective of the English pre-Marxians” (Gray, p. 288). “In Labour’s Wrongs Bray traced the impoverishment of the labouring-classes to the skewed distribution of the ownership of the nation’s productive capacity, which permitted the coercive exercise of economic power by the few against the interests of the many . . . Although influenced by Owenite thinking, [Bray’s] conception of socialism involved a move away from the idea of self-contained, self-sufficient, cooperative communities in the direction of central control over output, pricing, allocation and distribution. In this respect, while bearing many of the hallmarks of early 19th- century socialism, Labour’s Wrongs points to the work of late 19th-century socialists where the market is supplanted by planning” ( The New Palgrave , p. 274). Duodecimo. Original black cloth, printed paper spine labels, partially unopened. Extremities worn and bumped, lean to spine, split and chip
along rear joint, slight loss to label, inner hinges cracked but firm, endpapers foxed, lower corner of gathering I partially uncut. A good copy. ¶ Alexander Gray, The Socialist Tradition: Moses to Lenin , Ludwig von Mises Institute, 1963. £3,250 [118738] 28 BUONINSEGNI, Tommaso. Trattato de’ Traffichi Giusti, et Ordinarii, cioè de la Vendita à credenza, de la Diminution del prezzo, per l’anticipato pagamento. Venice: Giorgio Angelieri, 1588 Reconciling business with Catholic dogma Scarce first edition in Italian of this widely read collection of economic tracts, an important contribution to the religious debate surrounding the new business practices of the 16th century, first published in Latin in Florence the previous year, and here translated by Vitale Zuccoli. Composed by the conservative Dominican professor of theology Tommaso Buoninsegni (1531–1610) in response to contemporary concerns about the moral nature of some traditional financial practices, the essays defend many business practices, such as insurance, to be in accordance with Catholic morality, while retaining many of the traditional precepts of the Church, such as an opposition to usury for profit. Octavo (149 × 97 mm). Contemporary limp vellum, manuscript title to spine, yapp edges. Woodcut title page vignette, headpieces, initials. Early ownership signature to front free endpaper partly erased, ink annotation, “299”, to title leaf verso, bookseller’s pencilled notes to front pastedown. Endpapers separating from vellum at head, but perfectly sound, occasional pale marginal stain at foot, the odd spot or stain, traces of worming to front inner hinge and rear endpapers, contents unaffected; a very good copy. ¶ Adams B3285; Cossa 33; Einaudi 748; Kress Italian 77. £3,250 [131463]
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Peter Harrington
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