This magnificent copy of John Locke’s greatest work is his critical assessment of the origins, nature, and limits of human reason. It remained the single most influential work in European philosophy for at least one hundred years. Locke was a British philosopher, Oxford academic, and medical researcher who became a government official charged with collecting information about trade and colonies. Therefore, he became engaged with issues of slavery, property, Indigenous policy, and agricultural improvement, among many other topics. Locke inscribed this volume to Isabella Duke, whom he had first met in 1686 while in exile in Holland.
This special exhibition at the Folger features rare books from the collection of Stuart and Mimi Rose that present literary, cultural, and historical high points.
