London: Printed for A. Millar, 1751. First edition. First issue, with the catchword "than" on leaf L3. Twelvemo. [8], 253, [3, ads] pp. Complete, with the errata leaf and the terminal ads. A Very Good copy. Rebound in period-style dark brown calf ruled in gilt. Preserving original spine label. Endpapers renewed. Faint twentieth-century pencil ownership signature to half-title. Some foxing and toning throughout. A handsome copy.

David Hume's An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals, a classic of eighteenth-century philosophy, reflects on morality, ethics, justice, and reason. The work "grows older without aging and that remains lively with a wisdom that speaks to the present. It is not the most profound of Hume’s works or the most original, being to some extent a revision of book 3 of Hume’s masterpiece, A Treatise of Human Nature (1739 - 1740). However, its author considered it the best of his works, and many critics have agreed with that judgment. Dealing decisively with major ethical issues, the work presents in clear, carefully organized form an analysis of morals....[A]lthough it would be worthwhile to read An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals for its historical importance alone, it also has a unique relevance to some fundamental problems of ethical philosophy, particularly to those concerning the nature of moral judgment" (Martin Easterling). The Enquiry later inspired philosophers like Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. Very Good (Item #8224)