In our next auction we have philosophical books from the Enlightenment Period.
The Enlightenment or the Age of Reason is said to be a turning point in Western Civilisation which “emphasized science and reason over faith and superstition, strongly influenced the American colonies in the eighteenth century.” (Khan Academy)
Including a first edition of Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes, Humane Understanding by John Locke, Essays by David Hume, Works of Voltaire, Saint Augustine’s City of God. Some of these titles were in the Printing and the Mind of Man catalogue which illustrates “the impact of print on the evolution of Western civilization” (Wiki).
Printed Mind of Man
Printing and the Mind of Man is a book first published in 1967 and based on an exhibition in 1963.
PMM, as it is usually abbreviated, is regarded as a standard bibliographical reference, and offers a survey of the impact of printed books on the development of western civilization. (Wikipedia)
This first book edition was entitled Printing and the Mind of Man, a descriptive catalogue illustrating the impact of print on the evolution of Western civilization during five centuries. It was edited by John Carter and Percy H. Muir and expanded upon the theme of the impact of printing on human thought.(Wikipedia)
Interestingly Ian Fleming lent over 40 books from his collection from the exhibition. (Wikipedia from – Hayward, John (1964).”Commentary: Ian Fleming and ‘Printing and the Mind of Man’) We have a number of books written by Ian Fleming in this auction.