An Essay Concerning Human Understanding by John Locke - c. 1853

London: William Tegg & Co., c. 1853. A fine example of this work bound in full decorative contemporary gilt blue calf.. Edition: Thirty-First Edition. , Binding: Contemporary full blue calf. Covers have decorative gilt emblems from the University of Toronto and gilt rules. Spine in six compartments of raised bands. Gilt text on red morocco label on 2. Gilt ornamentation and rules on 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Gilt dentelles on all edges. All edges marbled. Pasted and free marbled endpapers., Notes: John Locke (1632 – 1704) was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers and known as the "Father of Classical Liberalism". An Essay Concerning Human Understanding is a concerning the foundation of human knowledge and understanding. It first appeared in 1689 (although dated 1690) with the printed title An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. He describes the mind at birth as a blank slate (“tabula rasa”, although he did not use those actual words) filled later through experience. The essay was one of the principal sources of empiricism in modern philosophy, and influenced many enlightenment philosophers, such as David Hume and George Berkeley. There is a bookplate on the verso of the top cover dated 1854 showing that the book was given to a gifted University of Toronto student of metaphysics. , Size: 8vo (219x136mm). , Illustration: Illustrated with a frontispiece portrait of John Locke and a folding table. , Category: Book Literature