Description

[004690] Harrington, James; Toland, John (Ed) The Oceana and Other Works of James Harrington Esq. Collected, Methodiz’d, and Review’d, with an Exact Account of His Life Prefix’d. London: A. Millar, 1737. First Thus. Folio. Hardback. Good. [2], i-x, portrait, xiii-xlvi, [2], 3-632pp. Contemporary mottled calf, later rebacked in a lighter calf, raised bands, spine in six panels, title label to second panel, remaining panels with central lozenge shaped tool, new endpapers

Original calf slightly pitted and worn, corners bumped and worn. Title slightly chipped to edges, lightly browned throughout, a few small light marginal stains, with small light marginal stain to top margin throughout, but never too obtrusive. With engraved frontispiece by M.[ichael] van der Gucht, an engraved portrait of Harrington by van der Gucht after P.[eter] Lely, and an unattributed engraving of the ‘manner and life of the ballot’. Title in red and black

Harrington’s The Commonwealth of Oceana was first published in 1656 (published by the Fifth Monarchy Man Livewell Chapman), Toland’s edition was published in 1700, with this edition being the first to include “all the political tracts wrote by this author, omitted in Mr. Toland’s edition”. “Harrington’s magnum opus, Oceana is an exposition on an ideal constitution, designed to allow for the existence of a utopian republic. Oceana was read contemporaneously as a metaphor for interregnum England, with its beneficent lawgiver Olphaeus Megalator representing Cromwell. The details of this ideal governing document are set out, from the rights of the state to the salaries of low officials” (Wikipedia)

See Negley 519; ESTC T146276