An Essay on the Principle of Population: Volume 1

Published in two volumes, these books provide a student audience with an excellent scholarly edition of Malthus' Essay on Population.

T. R. Malthus (Author), Patricia James (Edited by)

9780521071345, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 4 September 2008

464 pages
22.5 x 15 x 2.6 cm, 0.68 kg

Published in two volumes, these books provide a student audience with an excellent scholarly edition of Malthus' Essay on Population. Written in 1798 as a polite attack on post-French revolutionary speculations on the theme of social and human perfectibility, it remains one of the most powerful statements of the limits to human hopes set by the tension between population growth and natural resources. Based on the authoritative variorum edition of the versions of the Essay published between 1803 and 1826, and complete with full introduction and bibliographic apparatus, this edition is intended to show how Malthusianism impinges on the history of political thought, and how the author's reputation as a population theorist and political economist was established.

Volume I: Book I. Of the Checks to Population in the less civilized Parts of the World, and in Past Times: 1. Statement of the Subject. Ratios of the Increase of Population and Food
2. Of the general Checks to Population, and the Mode of their Operation
3. Of the Checks to Population in the lowest Stage of Human Society
4. Of the Checks to Population among the American Indians
5. Of the Checks to Population in the Islands of the South Sea
6. Of the Checks to Population among the ancient Inhabitants of the North of Europe
7. Of the Checks to Population among modern Pastoral Nations
8. Of the Checks to Population in different Parts of Africa
9. Of the Checks to Population in Siberia, Northern and Southern
10. Of the Checks to Population in the Turkish Dominions and Persia
11. Of the Checks to Population in Indostan and Tibet
12. Of the Checks to Population in China and Japan
13. Of the Checks to Population among the Greeks
14. Of the Checks to Population among the Romans
Book II. Of the Checks to Population in the different States of Modern Europe: 1. Of the Checks to Population in Norway
2. Of the Checks to Population in Sweden
3. Of the Checks to Population in Russia
4. (a) On the fruitfulness of Marriages [1803]
5. Of the Checks to Population in the middle parts of Europe
6. (a) Effects of Epidemics on Tables of Mortality [1803]
7. Of the Checks to Population in Switzerland
8. Of the Checks to Population in France
9. Of the Checks to Population in France (continued) [Added 1817]
10. Of the Checks to Population in England
11. Of the Checks to Population in England (continued) [Added 1817]
12. Of the Checks to Population in Scotland and Ireland
13. General deductions from the preceding view of Society
Book III. Of the different Systems of Expedients which have been proposed or have prevailed in Society, as they affect the Evils arising from the Principle of Population: 1. Of Systems of Equality. Wallace. Condorcet
2. Of Systems of Equality. Godwin
3. (a) Observations on the Reply of Mr Godwin [1803] 3. (b) Of Systems of Equality (continued) [Substituted 1817]
4. Of Emigration
5. Of the English Poor Laws
6. Subject of Poor Laws continued
7. Of Poor-Laws, continued [Added 1817]
8. Of increasing Wealth as it affects the Condition of the Poor
9. Of the Definitions of Wealth. Agricultural and Commercial Systems [1803]
10. Different Effects of the Agricultural and Commercial Systems
11. Of Bounties on the Exportation of Corn
12. Of the principal Sources of the prevailing Errors on the Subject of Population.

Subject Areas: Economic theory & philosophy [KCA]