Condorcet

1814 · rif. 1410251 — Paris 1814. Second Edition. Octavo 75 pages. In Good condition. Original wrap present but repaired with tape. Moderate age toning and wear to cover with chipping along edges. Textblock shows moderate age toning and miild scattered foxing. Inscribed to Sophie de Condorcet "a Madame de Condorcet de la part de l'auteur" inside cover with additional inscription on front cover. Shelved at Rockville Room E. Benjamin Constant 1767-1830 was one of the most influential liberal political theorists of the early nineteenth century and a prominent figure in French intellectual life after the Revolution and the fall of Napoleon. A gifted writer journalist and parliamentarian Constant argued for constitutional government civil liberties and freedom of expression. His writings-including essays political speeches and novels-helped shape modern liberal thought especially his distinction between the "liberty of the ancients" and the "liberty of the moderns" emphasizing individual rights and representative government. His 1814 work De la liberté des brochures des pamphlets et des journaux defended freedom of the press at a moment when France was transitioning from Napoleonic rule to the Bourbon Restoration making the book an important statement in the early struggle over modern political freedoms. Sophie de Condorcet 1764-1822 the Marquise de Condorcet was a leading intellectual and salonnière of late-eighteenth- and early-nineteenth-century France. Widowed during the French Revolution after the death of her husband the philosopher Marquis de Condorcet she became an important guardian and editor of his works while maintaining a prominent Paris salon that attracted many liberal thinkers and political reformers. A writer and translator in her own right-most notably translating the works of Adam Smith into French-she advocated educational reform women's intellectual advancement and Enlightenment ideals of reason and progress. Her intellectual circle overlapped with many of the liberal political figures active during the Restoration period making a presentation copy from Constant to Madame de Condorcet a meaningful association within the broader network of early modern liberal thought. 1410251. Special Collections - Upstairs. unknown