Books

Books : reviews

John Stuart Mill, Stefan Collini.
On Liberty; with, The Subjection of Women and, Chapters on Socialism.
CUP. 1859

John Stuart Mill is one of the few indisputably ‘classic’ authors in the history of political thought. On Liberty, first published in 1859, has become celebrated as the most powerful defence of the freedom of the individual, and it is now widely regarded as the most important theoretical foundation for Liberalism as a political creed. Similarly, his The Subjection of Women, a powerful indictment of the political, social and economic position of women, has become one of the cardinal documents of modern feminism. This edition brings together these two classic texts, plus Mill’s posthumous Chapters on Socialism, his somewhat neglected examination of the strengths and weaknesses of various forms of Socialism. The Editor’s substantial Introduction places these three works in the context both of Mill’s life and of nineteenth century intellectual and political history, and assesses their continuing relevance. There is also a Chronology of Mill’s life, a Bibliographical Guide, and a Biographical Appendix of names cited in the texts.