121 - [SLAVERY - ABOLITION] CLARKSON, Thomas. An Essay on the Political Disadvantages of the Slave Trade. Translated from the English based on the latest edition published in London in 1789.

[SLAVERY - ABOLITION] CLARKSON, Thomas. An Essay on the Political Disadvantages of the Slave Trade. Translated from the English based on the latest edition published in London in 1789. French edition of this “bible” of abolitionism written by the Reverend Thomas Clarkson (1760–1846). Paris, Adrien Égron and Delaunay, 1814. In-8 (130 x 255 mm), brown glazed half-basane, smooth spine with the title gilt lengthwise, triple blind-stamped lines, and gilt lines at the top and bottom. 144 pp. Scuffing; front cover fragile (split at the spine). Second French edition of this major work by Reverend Thomas Clarkson (1760–1846), a key figure in the abolitionist movement. It was published during the Restoration to support the emerging debates on abolition and was printed in a small run. The Treaty of Paris of May 30, 1814, included an additional article stipulating that France undertook to ban the slave trade within five years. Originally published in English in 1788, the essay presents Clarkson’s empirical research conducted in English ports that thrived on the slave trade, which served as the basis for many subsequent abolitionist campaigns. In it, Clarkson develops his analysis of the slave trade and argues that its abolition would make Africa more prosperous and economically viable, emphasizing in particular the exorbitant maritime costs of the trade, both in terms of slaves and sailors. The translation is attributed to Gramagnac, secretary of the Society of Friends of the Blacks, an organization founded in 1788 modeled after Clarkson’s Anti-Trade Slavery Society (ATSS). A fine copy with a perfectly preserved interior.