Human Sciences

Contact Jonathan Harrison, Alfred Pasternack or Barbara Scalvini

Human Sciences at Quaritch embraces a wide range of books and manuscripts documenting the history of ideas from the earliest times up to about 1960. Our strengths are in the history of economic thought and in philosophy, but we also deal in law; finance and banking (including speculation, actuarial science and insurance); politics and political theory; sociology; psychology; agriculture; education; logic; and the theory of language.

Some notable items which have recently passed through our hands include the only known copy of the Communist Manifesto inscribed by Karl Marx, Rudolf Carnap’s annotated copy of Wittgenstein’s Tractatus (Logisch-philosophische Abhandlung), Joseph Penso de la Vega’s Confusion de Confusiones (1688, the first book to describe the practice of a stock-exchange) and a copy of Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations (4th edition, 1786), inscribed in Smith's own hand to Bonnie Prince Charlie's private secretary.

As well as dealing in individual books and manuscripts, we also offer collections. In recent years we have sold author collections of Friedrich Nietzsche, Bertrand Russell, Thorstein Veblen, Emile Durkheim and Jeremy Bentham. Among subject collections we have offered are the Herwood Library of accounting literature (including Pacioli's Summa de Arithmetica, 1494, the first printed exposition of double-entry book-keeping); the philosophy of language; texts pertaining to the theory and study of language in the West, and the history of probability - the calculus of probabilities, statistics and their applications.

  1. SHAGINYAN, Marietta Sergeevna.

    Puteshestvie v Veimar [Journey to Weimar].

    Moscow & Petrograd, Gosizdat, 1923.

    First edition of Shaginyan’s account...

    £600

  2. S[HEAFE], T[homas].

    Vindiciae senectutis, or, a Plea for Old-Age:...

    London, George Mither and are to be sold...

    First edition of a rare encomium on senectitude...

    £1250

  3. [SHEPHEARD, James.]

    The Dying Speech of James Shepheard: who...

    [London, s.n., 1718.]

    One of at least five printings of this...

    £750

  4. SHKAPSKAIA, Maria Mikhailovna.

    Krov’-ruda [Blood-ore].

    St Petersburg & Berlin, Epokha, 1922.

    First edition of a collection of twenty-one...

    £300

  5. SILIUS ITALICUS, C.; John CAREY, editor.

    Punicorum libri XVII, sedulâ recensione...

    London, T. Davison for Rodwell & Martin,...

    First and only ‘Regent’s Classics’...

    £100

  6. SIMEONI, Gabriele.

    Comentarii di Gabriello Symeoni Fiorentino...

    Venice, Comino da Trino di Monferrato, 1546.

    Scarce first edition of Gabriele Simeoni’s...

    £550

  7. SIMMEL, Georg.

    Soziologie. Untersuchungen über die Formen...

    Leipzig, Duncker & Humblot, 1908.

    First edition. Simmel ‘had laid the...

    £150

  8. SISMONDI, J. C. L. Simonde de.

    Nouveaux principes d’économie politique,...

    Paris, Delaunay, Treuttel & Wurtz, 1819.

    First edition. ‘A number of concepts...

    £850

  9. SMITH, Albert Richard.

    The new Game of the Ascent of Mont Blanc.

    London, printed by Hall, 43, South Molton...

    Rare first edition of this attractive board...

    £3750

  10. SMITH, Robert. 

    The Universal Directory for taking alive...

    London, printed for the author, 1768. 

    First edition of a guide to catching and...

    £500

  11. SMITH, William.

    The Speeches of Mr. Smith, of South Carolina,...

    Philadelphia printed, London reprinted...

    First London edition, a rebuff to the punitive...

    £175

  12. [SOUTH AND CENTRAL AMERICAN COINAGE.]

    The King’s Assay Master’s Report, with...

    [London, 1834].

    Three tables of coinage weights and fineness...

    £250

  13. [SPENCE, Joseph.] Nicholas TINDAL.

    A Guide to classical Learning: or, Polymetis...

    London, J. Dodsley, 1777.

    Second illustrated edition (fourth overall)...

    £250

  14. SPENCER, Herbert.

    The Study of Sociology. [The International...

    New York, Appleton, 1874.

    First edition thus, the first American...

    £100

  15. SPILBERGEN, Joris van, and Jacob LE MAIRE.

    Speculum orientalis occidentalisque Indiae...

    Leiden, Nicolaes van Geelkercken, 1619.

    First Latin edition of one of the classic...

    £20000

  16. SPURZHEIM, Johann Gaspar.

    A View of the elementary Principles of...

    Boston, Marsh Capen and Lyon, 1832.

    First American edition (first Edinburgh,...

    £125

  17. SSYL’NYM I ZAKLIUCHENNYM.

    St. Petersburg, [Vol’naia Tipografiia...

    Rare first edition of this anthology of...

    £350

  18. STACEY, George et al.

    Daguerreotype and ambrotype portraits of...

    London, 1850s.

    A handsome set of photographs of the English...

    £7500

  19. [STANHOPE, Hester Lucy, Lady.] [MERYON, Charles Lewis, editor.]

    Memoirs of the Lady Hester Stanhope, as...

    London, [Frederick Shoberl for] Henry...

    First edition, the entertaining memoirs...

    £650

  20. STATUTA COLLEGII DD.

    Almae Urbis Medicorum ex antiquis Romanorum...

    Rome, Printer of the Apostolic Chamber,...

    The very rare enlarged and updated issue...

    £550