Justin Croft Antiquarian Books - Rare and Antiquarian Books and Manuscripts

Second edition. One of the central texts in the development of utilitarian tradition, Bentham's Fragment on Government is the first attempt to apply the principle of utility in a methodical and systematic manner to the theory of government, in the form of a detailed criticism of a section of Blackstone's famous work. "Admirably written, free from the diffuseness and pronounced mannerisms of his later productions, the book is a model of controversial literature. Bentham's observations went far beyond the text upon which he proposed to comment. They were destructive of the theories in jurisprudence and political philosophy which were then prevalent, and 'were the first publication by which men at large were invited to break loose from the trammels of authority and ancestor wisdom on the field of law.' The 'Fragment on Government' was a new point of departure in jurisprudence." (John Macdonell, DNB, 1885.) During the productive final years of Bentham's life, a number of his early works were republished, including this title which originally appeared anonymously in 1776. Though described on the title page as enlarged, the only significant addition was a long footnote to Ch. I, pp. 45-48.