London: Secker & Warburg, 1952. First Edition. Hardcover. Octavo. [vi],vii-xi, [xii], 366 pages.

Important work that explores a vital contradiction in 18th century thought between the urge for individual liberty and the desire to organize a Utopian political order around it. Talmon finds the difficulty of reconciling the two to be most stark in the works of Rousseau but examines the works of other thinkers from this perspective as well. He traces the roots of totalitarianism found in Communist China and Eastern European governments in the 20th century to this Messianic form of democracy that appeared in the French Revolution.

Bound in red cloth over boards with gilt-stamped spine titles, dust jacket in archival Mylar cover. Book is clean and sound with shallow bumps at spine ends, light toning to textblock. Jacket has a few shallow edge chips, closed tears, and some toning to edges and spine. A bright copy overall. Near fine in a very good to near fine jacket.

Item #2029

Price: $300