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DE LA DÉMOCRATIE EN AMÉRIQUE
by Tocqueville, Alexis de
- Used
- Hardcover
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Paris: Charles Gosselin, 1835.. Two volumes bound in one. [4],xxiv,367; [4],459pp., plus handcolored folding map. Half title in each volume. Contemporary French marbled paper boards, gilt morocco label. Minor shelf wear, some rubbing to boards. Moderate toning, stamp removed from titlepage and margin of one text leaf in first volume. Very good. The first edition of the first part of Tocqueville's classic, DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA, one of the most famous investigations of the American political system.
Alexis de Tocqueville came to the United States in the spring of 1831, accompanied by his friend and fellow student, Gustave de Beaumont. Their original goal was to study the penitentiary system of the United States. After visiting prisons in the East, they undertook a tour of the South as far as New Orleans, ascended the Mississippi, visited the Great Lakes and Canada, and returned via New York, having travelled for nine months. After writing their report on prisons, Tocqueville began work on the first part of DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA in 1833-34 and published it, in an edition of less than 500 copies, in January 1835. The book was an instant success, and numerous editions, many with revisions, followed quickly. The second part, first published in April 1840, was issued concurrently with the eighth edition of the first part.
There were probably more than fifty editions in English and French published before 1900, besides numerous other translations. Almost from the beginning, Tocqueville's study enjoyed the reputation of being the most acute and perceptive discussion of the political and social life of the United States ever published. Remarkably, it has sustained its appeal generation after generation, as new readers find it speaks to their time with a contemporary voice. Whether perceived as a textbook of American political institutions, an investigation of society and culture, a probing of the psyche of the United States, or a study of the actions of modern democratic society, the book has continued to offer insight and provoke thought since its inception. It has also probably provided commentators with more quotations than any other work about the United States. HOWES T278, "aa." SABIN 96060. CLARK III:111. Library of Congress, A PASSION FOR LIBERTY, ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE ON DEMOCRACY & REVOLUTION (Washington, 1989).
Alexis de Tocqueville came to the United States in the spring of 1831, accompanied by his friend and fellow student, Gustave de Beaumont. Their original goal was to study the penitentiary system of the United States. After visiting prisons in the East, they undertook a tour of the South as far as New Orleans, ascended the Mississippi, visited the Great Lakes and Canada, and returned via New York, having travelled for nine months. After writing their report on prisons, Tocqueville began work on the first part of DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA in 1833-34 and published it, in an edition of less than 500 copies, in January 1835. The book was an instant success, and numerous editions, many with revisions, followed quickly. The second part, first published in April 1840, was issued concurrently with the eighth edition of the first part.
There were probably more than fifty editions in English and French published before 1900, besides numerous other translations. Almost from the beginning, Tocqueville's study enjoyed the reputation of being the most acute and perceptive discussion of the political and social life of the United States ever published. Remarkably, it has sustained its appeal generation after generation, as new readers find it speaks to their time with a contemporary voice. Whether perceived as a textbook of American political institutions, an investigation of society and culture, a probing of the psyche of the United States, or a study of the actions of modern democratic society, the book has continued to offer insight and provoke thought since its inception. It has also probably provided commentators with more quotations than any other work about the United States. HOWES T278, "aa." SABIN 96060. CLARK III:111. Library of Congress, A PASSION FOR LIBERTY, ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE ON DEMOCRACY & REVOLUTION (Washington, 1989).
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Details
- Bookseller
- William Reese Company
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- WRCAM48814B
- Title
- DE LA DÉMOCRATIE EN AMÉRIQUE
- Author
- Tocqueville, Alexis de
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- Charles Gosselin
- Place of Publication
- Paris
- Date Published
- 1835.
- Note
- May be a multi-volume set and require additional postage.
Terms of Sale
William Reese Company
All material is shipped subject to approval, but notification of return must be made within ten days and returns made in a prompt and conscientious fashion.
About the Seller
William Reese Company
Biblio member since 2006
New Haven, Connecticut
About William Reese Company
Since 1975, William Reese Company has served a large international clientele of collectors and private and public institutions in the acquisition of rare books and manuscripts and in collection development.
With a catalogued inventory of over thirty thousand items, and a general inventory of over sixty-five thousand items, we are among the leading specialists in the fields of Americana and world travel, and maintain a large and eclectic inventory of literary first editions and antiquarian books of the 18th through 20th centuries.
We issue frequent, and substantial, catalogues in our fields of specialization, and we are equipped to produce smaller lists devoted to specific subjects with ease in response to requests.
With a catalogued inventory of over thirty thousand items, and a general inventory of over sixty-five thousand items, we are among the leading specialists in the fields of Americana and world travel, and maintain a large and eclectic inventory of literary first editions and antiquarian books of the 18th through 20th centuries.
We issue frequent, and substantial, catalogues in our fields of specialization, and we are equipped to produce smaller lists devoted to specific subjects with ease in response to requests.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Rubbing
- Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Shelf Wear
- Shelf wear (shelfwear) describes damage caused over time to a book by placing and removing a book from a shelf. This damage is...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Marbled Paper
- Decorative colored paper that imitates marble with a veined, mottled, or swirling pattern. Commonly used as the end papers or...
- Morocco
- Morocco is a style of leather book binding that is usually made with goatskin, as it is durable and easy to dye. (see also...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Half Title
- The blank front page which appears just prior to the title page, and typically contains only the title of the book, although, at...
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