THE SUBJECTION OF WOMEN

First edition. Publisher's original light brown cloth stamped in blind to the upper and lower boards, titles in gilt to the spine. A very good or better copy, the binding square and firm with some bumping at the spine tips and corners and mild darkening of the spine. Half title. The original brown coated endpapers are lightly spotted to the reverse. Inner hinges are slightly cracked but holding firm. Binder's ticket to the lower left corner of the rear endpaper, as issued. The contents are otherwise clean throughout and without inscriptions or stamps. An excellent example, uncommon in this entirely unsophisticated (original) state.

John Stuart Mill (1806-73), political economist, politician, and civil servant, was one of the most influential English philosophers of the nineteenth century. A utilitarian and a liberal, he contributed greatly to social and political theory, producing such important works as 'System of Logic' (1843), 'On Liberty' (1859), and 'Utilitarianism' (1861). The breadth of Mill's writing spans from theoretical philosophy tackling language, science, arithmetic, geometry, psychology and Freedom, to practical philosophy focusing on morality, the concept of 'Proof', authority and democracy, freedom of speech, happiness as the measure of all human practices, and gender politics. 'The Subjection of Women' was Mill's last great political work, and immediately provoked debate upon its publication. The aim of his essay was to mitigate the negative effects of the rise of equality, a result of the dominant middle class, by arguing for the removal of structures of discrimination and oppression against women. Drawing on historical examples of strong female political leaders, Mill disagreed with the prevalent social argument that women's characters are inherently submissive, making them naturally suited to certain roles in the family and in society at large. "[N]o one can safely pronounce that if women's nature were left to choose its direction as freely as men's, and if no artificial bent were attempted to be give n to it except that required by the conditions of human society, and give to both sexes alike, there would by any material difference, or perhaps any difference at all, in the character and capacities that would unfold themselves" (The Subjection of Women: p 105; Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2016). Among women's rights activists and suffragists, the essay became essential reading and has since been identified as providing many foundational arguments of modern feminist literature. However, many contemporary readers strongly opposed Mill's views of subverting familial and social stability. Yet despite the controversy, the significance of Mill's feminist writing and its success in raising the profile for the fight for women's legal, political, and familial rights cannot be understated.