The work was first published anonymously in 1798, and revised every few years afterwards. The first American edition was published in 1809. Malthus' influence on social policy over the past two centuries is undeniable, whether you agree or disagree with him. His own viewpoints actually changed over time, his gloomy conclusion in the first edition that starvation and widespread contagions were inevitable giving way in subsequent editions to plans for the possibilities of combating them through social policy. Gilt dentelles and marbled endpapers.
All edges gilt.
Volume 1 has evidently had a slightly larger bookplate removed from the front pastedown. The condition of the set is fine and brilliantly clean, with little wear or soil evident anywhere. A handsomely bound, beautifully preserved set. Introduction and Succession of Vertebrate Life in America. Delivered before the American Association for the Advancement of Science, at Nashville, Tenn., August 30, 1877.