1723 – Characteristicks of Men – Anthony Cooper, Earl of Shaftesbury | 3 volume set

Characteristicks of men, manners, opinions, times is a collection of essays and treatises by Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury. This work contains Cooper’s views of religious tolerance, his commentary on the characteristics of God, and his essay on wit and humor.

This 1732 first collected edition includes each of the famous treatises, bound in uniform full leather.

This work was known to influence figures such as Immanuel Kant and David Hume.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Characteristicks of men, manners, opinions, times
• Author(s): Anthony Ashley Cooper Shaftesbury
• Publisher: [London]
• Edition: 1723.
• Binding: Full leather
• Format: 8vo, three volumes
• Size: 8 in × 5 in (20 cm × 13.5 cm)
• Collation:
  • Vol 1: [6], IV, 364 p
  • Vol 2: 443 p
  • Vol 3: 391 p
• Illustrations: engraved vignettes
• Contents Include:
  • A Letter Concerning Enthusiasm ­– advocating for religious toleration based on letters to John Somers
  • Sensus Communis: An Essay on the Freedom of Wit and Humour
  • Soliloquy: or, Advice to an Author
  • Inquiry Concerning Virtue and Merit – on moral senses and moralism
  • The Moralists – treatise on natural theology and theodicy, concerning the characteristics of God
  • Miscellaneous Reflections
• Provenance: handwritten – Maria (sp?) Herrett

Condition:

Very Good. Full leather binding with slight rubbing to corners and edges; pages are clean and show minimal wear or age toning. Vignettes remain crisp.

Why Collect This?

• First edition of Cooper Shaftesbury’s famous essays
• Desirable to collectors of moral philosophy treatises

Item Number: # 29744