PETTY, Sir William.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

The Political Anatomy of Ireland. First edition of this influential survey by the father of statistical analysis. For McCulloch, it stands as "the best of Petty's works" (p. 211), both for the quality of its statistical reporting and for the incisiveness of Petty's policy recommendations for the country.William Petty (1623-1687) first went to Ireland in the 1650s as an army surgeon in Cromwell's expeditionary force. He built up considerable interests there, purchasing some 18,000 acres and serving as an MP, judge, and member of the council of trade.This provided the ideal canvas to develop his conviction that political disagreement could be resolved by "expressing all in 'number, weight and measure'" (ODNB). Petty's goal of statistical precision was facilitated by the data flowing from his vast estates, supplemented with comprehensive tax reports and land surveys. The Political Anatomy provides empirical studies of many aspects of Irish life, including land values, church benefices, and militia defence.The dedicatory epistle is by Nahum Tate (1652-1715), the Irish author of Dido and Aeneas (1689) and poet laureate from 1692 to 1715. In the advertisement, Tate notes that this edition "is Printed after a Copy Transcribed from the Original, writ by the Author's own hand" (p. [xi]). Tate was a friend and confidant of Bishop William King, who was in turn a close friend and ally of Sir Robert Southwell - Petty's executor. All three men had their roots in Ireland.

Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.