Tractatus theologico-politicus

Hamburg, 1672. Second edition. Hardcover. Contemporary vellum backed marbled boards. 20.5 x 16.8 cm. *4 **2; A-Z4 Aa-Ff4 Gg2. As in other copies of the second edition, p.42 reads 24, and p.207 reads 213. Woodcut printer's device, Roman, italic and Hebrew type. Spinoza was excommunicated in 1656, and thereafter adopted the the Latin form Benedict of his birth name. BRUNET Vol. V p.491. PRINTING & THE MIND OF MAN 153. "Spinoza's thought, a fusion of Cartesian rationalism and Hebraic tradition in which he grew up, is a solitary but crystal-clear exposition of the theory of natural right. He defends with eloquence the liberty of thought and speech in speculative matters, and 'Tractatus' contains the first clear statement of the independence of each other of philosophy and religion, in that speculation and precepts of conduct cannot collide." The first edition published 1670, and the third and fourth appeared posthumously in 1677. By trade Spinoza was a gifted lens grinder, after his death the lenses found in his cabinet fetched a high price. Owner inscription front cover pastedown dated 1729. Several ink dots in margins, contemporary manuscript notes on endpapers, margin notes on pages 18 and 27, and heavier notation on pages 221-233, text generally clean.