A Manual of Political Economy. Washington, 1834.
A Rare Compendium of Southern Political Thought by the "Father of Nullification" Cooper, Thomas [1759-1839]. A Manual of Political Economy. Washington, DC: Printed and Published by Duff Green, 1834. 109, [1] pp. Octavo (6" x 3-1/2"). Contemporary sheep, gilt title and fillets to spine. Light rubbing and some scuffing to boards, spine abraded, rear board beginning to detach but secure, early owner bookplate (Abraham Lawrence) to front pastedown, small hole to front free endpaper, title page re-hinged. Moderate toning, light foxing, faint dampstaining to lower half of text block, owner signature ("A. Lawrence") to head of title page, "The Father of Nullification" in faint early penciled hand below author name. $950. * This is the rare second issue of the only edition (first 1833). Thomas Cooper-chemist, physician, lawyer, and polymath-was one of the most provocative intellectual figures of the early American republic. A close associate of Joseph Priestley and Thomas Jefferson, Cooper served as a professor at Dickinson College and the University of Pennsylvania before becoming President of South Carolina College in 1820. Intended for a general audience, this Manual is based on Cooper's 1826 Lectures on the Elements of Political Economy. It provides a sophisticated introduction to the theories of Adam Smith, James Mill, Robert Malthus, and David Ricardo. However, the work is perhaps most significant for its ideological slant; Cooper was a fierce advocate for states' rights and a central figure in the intellectual defense of the South's political economy. As the contemporary inscription in this copy suggests, Cooper's radicalism earned him the moniker "The Father of Nullification," providing the theoretical groundwork for the Nullification Crisis and, ultimately, Southern secessionism. The former owner of this copy was likely Abraham Lawrence [1818-1878], a member of a prominent New York family. Lawrence held several government positions in Schuyler County and served in the New York Constitutional Convention of 1867. The presence of Cooper's Southern-leaning manual in the library of a prominent Northern jurist highlights the national reach of Cooper's controversial economic theories. Both issues of his Manual are rare. OCLC locates 11 copies of the first issue, 5 copies of the second (American.
Price: $950.00
Book number 73615