An Essay on the History of Civil Society. - 1767

Edinburgh: Printed for A. Millar & T. Cadell, London; and A. Kincaid & J. Bell, Edinburgh,, 1767. The synthesis of the thought of his time First edition of Ferguson's masterpiece, a key text of the Scottish Enlightenment and a pioneering precursor of modern sociology. Ferguson's Essay developed "a detailed, colourful, non-deterministic historical account of the way nations advance morally and materially towards the state of commerce, refinement, and liberty associated with eighteenth-century Britain" (ODNB). His work consequently examined the development of human society, from barbarism to civilised refinement, and the consequences of that development - both beneficial and detrimental. Ferguson followed Montesquieu by emphasising the great variety of factors, climactic, geographic, cultural and moral, that informed the rise and fall of polities in Europe and beyond. Equally, he had much to say on the issues of contemporary society: tackling the thorny question of how to balance wealth and virtue - a key concern of the Scottish Enlightenment. Ferguson's answer was to challenge the tendency of wealthy commercial men to withdraw from politics, and thus from virtuous activities, by inculcating a greater civic consciousness among such individuals. Among his contemporaries, Ferguson's Essay made a particularly significant impact on the embryonic efforts to develop a discipline of social sciences at the University of Gottigen: "They were impressed by his comparative attitude to societies ancient and modern, and by his attack on Rousseau's concept of the state of nature. Ferguson's approach inspired a comparative ethnography that went beyond the traditional dichotomy between 'primitive' and 'civilized', and tried to map the varieties of social mores without grading them on a strict ladder of historical progress" (ibid.). Ferguson's discussions "of politics, economics, history, aesthetics, literature and ethnology were the synthesis of the thought of his time" (Encyclopedia of Philosophy III, p. 187). Quarto (263 x 206 mm). Recent calf, spine with raised bands and red morocco label, compartments ruled and ornamented in gilt, double gilt fillet to covers, original outer blanks preserved. Several light scuffmarks to covers, light browning to endpapers, moderate toning to outer leaves, moderate foxing to contents, marginal tear and small chip to sig. 2A3, neatly repaired, a few small ink marks, including one to final page obscuring one letter: a very good copy. ESTC T76205; Goldsmiths' 10264; Higgs 3973; Kress 6432.