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First edition in English, laying the foundations of modern insurance in England, being a substantially enlarged and revised version of the original German text (Versuch über Assecuranzen, Hamburg, 1753). Nicolaus Magens was a German merchant who lived for many years in England and gained a great reputation in commercial matters. His Universal Merchant (1753) showed a deep insight into trade mechanisms, and was highly esteemed by Adam Smith; The Wealth of Nations contains six substantial direct and indirect references to the work. The Essay on Insurances was printed by Johann Haberkorn, who had set up London's first German press in 1749. Wide-ranging, it details the nature of insurance, the laws and foreign treatises affecting it, and an evaluation of its profitability. London was the centre of insurance in Europe, and the edition was soon established as a central text in the trade. Provenance: Macclesfield library bookplate to front pastedowns and blind stamp to initial leaves. The library ranked as one of the finest country-house libraries in Britain, as both the first and second Earls of Macclesfield acquired books on a vast range of subjects. The books were still in a remarkably fresh state of preservation when the library was dispersed in the early years of the 21st century in a series of celebrated sales at Sotheby's. This copy was lot 2809. ESTC T98888; Goldsmiths' 9045; Higgs 975; Kress 5453. Two vols, quarto (251 x 190 mm). Contemporary speckled calf, red morocco label, red edges. Complete with terminal final blank in vol. I, mispagination of sheets 3I 3N in vol. II corrected with printed cancels pasted over the page numbers as issued. Head of spine of vol. I neatly stabilized, binding otherwise fresh, browning from turn-ins, further even browning to some gatherings, generally towards the beginning and the end of each volume, with occasional light foxing elsewhere; a very good copy in a very well-preserved binding.

Published in 1755, the work is a detailed study of the principles of insurance, covering topics such as marine insurance, risk, and contracts. It also includes case studies and examples of insurance practices of the time, making it one of the earliest comprehensive texts on the subject of insurance. Magens' work was highly regarded for its practical insights into insurance and its role in commerce, particularly in the 18th century