One of the most provocative texts of 18th-century materialism

L'Homme Machine [Bound with:] L'Homme plus que Machine.

Leiden: De'Imp. d'Elie Luzac, 1748.

Price: $4,000.00


About the item

Presumed second edition of the first work, first edition of the second title. [20], 109; [8], 140 pp. 1 vols. 12mo. One of the most provocative texts of 18th-century materialism. Contemporary calf, stamped in gilt, red morocco spine label, front joint starting, rear joint rubbed, boards lightly rubbed, head of spine chipped, foot of spine slightly torn; edges stained red; marbled endpapers; text lightly spotted. Cholmondeley Library book-plate on front paste-down. see PMM 215; ESTC 006065851 (8 copies).

Item #318140

Julien Offray de La Mettrie's (1709-1751) controversial major work. In it, he denies the existence of a soul, and extends Descartes' argument of animals as automatons, akin to complex machines, to include human beings. This deterministic account proved so scandalous due to its anti-religious worldview, that La Mettrie fled to Berlin and later to the court of Frederick the Great of Prussia, where he worked as a physician and court reader.

Bound with: [La Mettrie, Julien Offray de] L'Homme plus que machine. A Londres, 1748. Presumed first edition. (8), 140 pp. Author sometime given as Elie Luzac and location as Holland.