Conversations on Political Economy. Slipcased with 5622.
British and American Editions
Marcet, Jane Haldimand. Conversations on Political Economy. London: Longman, 1824.
8vo.; paper edges untrimmed; six pages of advertisements tipped-in at the front; light foxing and offsetting to endpapers.
Boxed together with:
Marcet, Jane Haldimand. Conversations on Political Economy. Boston: Bowles & Dearborn, 1828.
8vo.; foxing throughout; ownership signature on front endpaper; worn leather boards; leather title label on spine; spine stamped in gilt.
Two editions of her wildly popular work, one from each side of the Pond. The first is a fifth edition, published in London; a gift copy, inscribed three years after publication from a mother to her son: To Edward Simcoe Dreuse with his mother’s best love, September 9, 1827. The second copy, from the American edition, was issued four years later.
In 1805, Marcet published her widely read Conversations on Chemistry, which went into sixteen British editions, sixteen American editions and two French editions. She considered herself to be a lively pedagogic voice contrasting with existing dry literature on the sciences. With this style of writing in mind – explaining a difficult topic in common terms – Marcet wrote Conversations on Political Economy in 1816, which also went through sixteen editions. Marcet simplified her subject by presenting economics as a didactic dialogue between a teacher and a student; a prudent choice, as her books were geared to young readers.
Following in the wave of popularity of her 1816 Conversations on Political Economy, Marcet published John Hopkin’s Notions on Political Economy, in 1833. Meant to be read by the working class, in John Hopkin’s Marcet attempts to demystify classical economics using didactic methods.
Impressed with the sales figures of the previous books, her publisher encouraged Marcet to write more in the same style. One of her many other titles was Willy’s Holidays, or, Conversations on Different Kinds of Governments, in 1836. Geared toward children, it outlined, in simplified terms, various governmental models.
Born in London in 1769 to a well-to-do Swiss merchant, Marcet was educated by private tutors in her home. She especially took to her studies of botany and chemistry—an interest which only increased upon her marriage to the Swiss chemist and physician, Alexander John Gaspard Marcet. Through him, she was able to learn about the most current developments in scientific thought and research, and was fortunate to be in contact with a circle of scientists as well. While not a scientist herself, she used her interest in the subject to publish several books – geared largely to children, women and laypeople – explaining not only the mysteries of science, but also economics, politics, religion, philosophy, language and history. Marcet was the first woman to write about such topics for children and laypeople; scientists as distinguished as Michael Faraday own to her influence in their youth. Marcet died in 1858.
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