Books

First american, from the third London edition. Due volumi (13x22 cm) di XVI-510-XXXIII pp e VI-542 pagine. Scritta di propriet� (datata 5 march 1834) sulle pagine di titolo. Una gora alla met� inferiore del volume nelle prime ed ultime 30 pp del volume 1. Qualche altra brunitura sparsa. Legatura coeva in tutta pelle marmorizzata, dorsi lisci con tassello di titolo; qualche usura e abrasioni ai piatti del volume 2, ma nel complesso bell'esemplare di questa prima edizione americana dell'opera di Malthus.

The book addresses the relationship between population growth and food supply. Malthus argued that population tends to grow exponentially, while food production increases only arithmetically, meaning that population growth would eventually outpace the ability to produce enough food. He suggested that without checks, such as famine, disease, or war, overpopulation would lead to widespread poverty and suffering. Malthus identified two types of checks on population growth: "positive checks," which raise the death rate (such as famine and disease), and "preventive checks," which reduce the birth rate (such as moral restraint, later marriage, or celibacy). He believed that without preventive measures, human misery was inevitable. Malthus’s work had a lasting influence on economic and demographic theories, and his ideas about population pressure also influenced Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection. Although some of his predictions were mitigated by technological advances in agriculture, his work remains important in discussions of overpopulation and resource sustainability.