This copy of John Stuart Mill’s classic work on utilitarianism and democratic principles documents a moment of contact between two prominent powerhouses, Mills and Alexis de Tocqueville, the French political scientist, philosopher, historian, and author of Democracy in America (1835–1840). The central point of Mill’s book is that the “greatest good” of the community is inseparable from the liberty of the individual. Tocqueville received this copy some two months before his death, writing in acknowledgement, “Nor do I doubt for a moment that in the field of liberty we will always march forward shoulder to shoulder.”
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.
