An Essay on the Principle of Population; or, A View of its Past and Present Effects on Human Happiness; with an Inquiry into our Prospects Respecting the Future Removal or Mitigation of the Evils which it Occasions. by Malthus, Thomas Robert - 1806

London: Printed for T. Johnson, 1806. Third edition of this cornerstone text of modern economics, the first to be published in 2 volumes and the first published after the great quarto edition of 1803. Octavo, 2 volumes, bound in contemporary calf, red and black morocco spine labels, gilt titles. In near fine condition with light rubbing. A very clean example. Malthus was one of the founders of modern economics. His Essay was originally the product of a discussion on the perfectibility of society with his father, [who] urged him to publish. Thus the first edition (published anonymously) was essentially a fighting tract, but later editions were considerably altered and grew bulkier as Malthus defended his views against a host of critics... The Essay was highly influential in the progress of thought in early 19th-century Europe [and] his influence on social policy was considerable... Both Darwin and Wallace clearly acknowledged Malthus as a source of the idea of 'the struggle for existence" (PMM 251).