Zum ewigen Frieden. by KANT, Immanuel - 1795: Ein philosophischer Entwurf.

Königsberg: Friedrich Nicolovius,, 1795. A bright, wide-margined copy in wrappers of "the basis of practical pacifism … which contains an outline of a world league of nations" (PMM) Octavo (190 x 115 mm). Uncut in contemporary blue paper wrappers. Housed in a brown cloth flat-back box by the Chelsea Bindery. Contemporary ownership annotations to front free endpaper and title page. Wrappers across spine chipped and with some loss but the binding itself firm, cover fore edges nicked and creased, small patch of red seal wax to rear wrapper. A bright, crisp, and wide-margined copy in wrappers. First edition, first issue, of Kant's celebrated essay Perpetual Peace. "The basis of practical pacifism is contained in Zum ewigen Frieden, 1795, which contains an outline of a world league of nations" (PMM). "It is unique among Kant's writings in that it was written for a wide public, and that its publication can be regarded as a political act" (Gallie, p. 8). The first edition sold out within a few weeks; a second, revised edition appeared the following year. The present copy has the capitalized catchword "Welt" on page 3, signifying the first issue. Adickes 84; Warda 154. W. B. Gallie, Philosophers of Peace and War: Kant, Clausewitz, Marx, Engels, and Tolstoy, 1978; Printing and the Mind of Man 226.