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. [ABC.] 

    Alphabet mythologique. 

    [Paris,] lith. Durand, Ligny Jne. et...

    A delightful and extremely rare ABC...

    £2500

  2. [ABC.]

    Petite géographie amusante abécédaire...

    C. Lehuby, ‘Librairie de l’enfance...

    A charming and very rare ABC intended...

    £3750

  3. ACTON, William.

    Prostitution, considered in its moral,...

    London, [Savill and Edwards for] John...

    First edition of this medico-social analysis...

    £1250

  4. [ANON.] 

    Le moine galant, ou la vie de Don F…...

    [S.l., s.n.,] 1756. 

    Scarce first edition of this satirical...

    £450

  5. [AQUHORTIES.]

    Abstract of the Rules and Regulations for...

    Edinburgh, Printed by J. Moir, Paterson’s...

    Broadside rules for the newly established...

    £850

  6. [ARISTOTLE.] 

    Disputations on Aristotle’s Organon

    Milan, 1600-1601. 

    An interesting manuscript comprising...

    £1250

  7. BALFOUR, Arthur James, first Earl of Balfour.

    Letter, signed, to ‘Sir John’.

    London, 10 Downing Street, 28 June 1901.

    A letter from Arthur Balfour, as first...

    £300

  8. BALLOU, Adin.

    Practical Christian socialism: a conversational...

    Hopedale and New York, by the author and...

    First edition. Adin Ballou (1803-90), Universalist...

    £450

  9. BARRINGTON, George.

    A Voyage to Botany Bay with a Description...

    London, C. Lowndes for H.D. Symonds, [c....

    First and only combined edition,...

    £875

  10. BEARCROFT, Philip.

    An historical Account of Thomas Sutton...

    London: Printed by E. Owen, and sold by...

    First edition. Thomas Sutton (1532-1611)...

    £250

  11. BEAUMONT, Gustave-Auguste de la Bonninière de.

    Autograph letter signed (‘Gustave de...

    Birmingham, 27 June [1835].

    A warm and personal autograph documenting...

    £350

  12. [BEER.]

    Jenaischer allgemeiner Bier-Comment nebst...

    ‘Eschwig, Otter & Kunitz, 183*.’

    An apparently unrecorded humorous handbook...

    £375

  13. [BESLER, Georg, Hector PÖMER, and Wolfgang VOLPRECHT.]

    Appellation unnd Beruffung der Pröbst...

    [Nuremberg, Friedrich Peypus,] 1524.

    First and only edition of this pamphlet...

    £3750

  14. BOLAÑO, Roberto.

    2666.

    Barcelona, Editorial Anagrama, [2004].

    First edition of the Chilean writer’s...

    £500

  15. [BOOKBINDER.]

    Sentence rendue en la chambre criminelle...

    Paris, Jean-Charles Desaint, 1782.

    Scarce pamphlet documenting the misdemeanours...

    £575

  16. BOOTH, Charles.

    In darkest England and the way out.

    London, Salvation Army, [1890.]

    First edition. ‘In 1890, the same year...

    £50

  17. BOSE, Johann Andreas.

    Io. Andr. Bosii introductio generalis in...

    Jenae, Johann Bielke, 1676.

    First edition of a pioneering work of statistics...

    £1500

  18. [BRESLAU – ELISABET-GYMNASIUM.]

    Voeux dus a l’amitié de Msr. Charles...

    Breslau, Charles Guillaume (i.e. Carl...

    Two poignant and seemingly unrecorded...

    £450

  19. [CAMBRIDGE.] 

    Tract volume of nine scarce works of poetry,...

    London and Cambridge, 1765-1823. 

    ...

    £1200

  20. [CAMPOMANES, Pedro Rodriguez, Conde de].

    Discurso sobre el Fomento de la Industria...

    Madrid, D. Antonio de Sancha, 1774.

    First edition; preceding the complementary...

    £400