Six Lectures on Charity, delivered at The Institution of New Lanark, upon the thirteenth chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians.

ON THE ROLE OF CHARITY IN OWEN’S “NEW MORAL WORLD”.

First edition, first or early printing. 8vo (194 x 118mm). 47, [1] pp. Original yellow printed wrappers, edges untrimmed (partially unopened, wrappers slightly edge worn, with some minor loss to the lower corner of front wrapper, otherwise a remarkably bright, near fine copy). London, D.B. Cousins. N.d. [but circa

 

An important work by the social reformer and communitarian socialist Robert Owen, being an exposition of the role of charity in his "new moral world". "In 1817 Owen began to speak the language of the millennium, and to cast himself in the role of a prophet both of a secular apocalypse, the crisis, and, in his mind's eye, of the new moral world or millennial world which would succeed it, where laws, commerce, religion, war, and self-interest would disappear. He had already suggested in 1813, but now began loudly to proclaim, closely following Paul's letter to the Corinthians, that charity was the core of all religion, and the highest good any individual could attain" (ODNB). 

Most likely the first, certainly an early printing of these lectures, of which the first dated edition was published by Cousins in 1833. In a slightly speculative note, Thomas places Cousins's undated edition as circa 1820s. An advertisement for a printing of the pamphlet appeared in The Northern Liberation, October 19, 1839. 

Stock Code: 231011