58 - PUFENDORF (Baron Samuel von).

PUFENDORF (Baron Samuel von). The Law of Nature and of Nations, or A General System of the Most Important Principles of Morality, Jurisprudence, and Politics, translated from the Latin of the late Baron von Pufendorf by Jean Barbeyrac [...] Basel, Thourneisen, 1732. 2 volumes in one sturdy in-4 volume, ivory vellum, ribbed spine, title label (contemporary binding). Vellum soiled. Fourth French edition, revised and considerably expanded by Jean Barbeyrac, of this seminal work on political philosophy and modern natural law. Originally published in Latin in 1672, Samuel von Pufendorf’s (1632–1694) treatise develops a theory of law based on reason and human sociability, examining the obligations of individuals, the foundations of civil society, political authority, and relations between states. Jean Barbeyrac’s (1674–1744) French translation, first published in 1706, contributed significantly to the dissemination of Pufendorf’s ideas throughout Enlightenment Europe. Portrait of the author engraved on the frontispiece. A few foxing spots. Handwritten notes in pencil on the endpapers.