Books

An Essay on the Principle of Population; or, a view of its past and present effects on human happiness; with an inquiry into our prospects respecting the future removal or mitigation of the evils which it occasions. 3 volumes. By Robert Thomas Malthus. Publisher: John Murray, London, 1817. 496, 507, 500 pages. Fifth edition with important additions. Binding is in black cloth with gold spine labeling. Binding is in fine condition. Contents clean. Small embossed library stamp to title-page on each edition, with verso of small rubber stamp of Harvard Library gift notation. Blank bookplate on each front pastedown. First few pages of each edition with foxing else a clean set. 5 � x 8 � inches. A nice tight set. Inventory #22-087. Price: $1,200.

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.