LINGUET, Simon Nicolas Henri.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Lettres sur la théorie des loix civiles, &c. First edition, part of a series of publications by the controversialist Linguet opposing reform to France's ancién regime, this a particularly well-preserved copy.Simon Nicolas Henri Linguet (1736-1794) was a French journalist and lawyer "whose delight in taking views opposing everyone else's earned him exiles, imprisonment, and finally the guillotine" (Encyclopaedia Britannica online). Throughout the 1760s and 1770s Linguet was perhaps the most renowned lawyer in France, widely esteemed for his eloquence and legal acumen, until his attacks on other lawyers led to his expulsion from the bar in 1775.Linguet opposed reform in his magnum opus Théorie des Loix civiles (1767). In the present work, he continued his arguments and responded to criticisms. He specifically rejects the notion that the English are free and that their institutions provide a model for the French (a popular idea among philosophes), and criticizes Montesquieu's analysis of laws and the state. Linguet also counters physiocratic objections to his ideas, which were printed in the Éphémérides du citoyen, specifically with regard to grain regulation.

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