HARRINGTON, James. The Oceana and Other Works of James Harrington, Esq; Collected, Methodiz’d, and Review’d, with An Exact Account of his Life Prefix’d, by John Toland. To which is added, An Appendix, containing all the Political Tracts wrote by this Author, Omitted in Mr. Toland’s Edition. Engraved frontispiece and portrait of Harrington.

London: Printed for A. Millar, at Buchanan's Head, against St. Clement's Church, in The Strand, 1737. Folio. Large paper copy (250 x 375mm). pp. xlvi, 632. Title in red and black. Bound in contemporary full mottled calf, spine and corners expertly rebacked and restored. All edges red.
A fine fresh copy.
ESTC T146276.
The Oceana was first published in the mid-1600's. It describes the government of a utopian community, examining at great length how an ideal government would work. During the protectorate all the editions to come off the press were seized and Harrington had to make several appeals to Cromwell's officials before the book was allowed to be released to the public. It is on the whole Harrington's magnum opus, This work is a seminal document of republicanism or anti-monarchism, relating especially to the Stuart monarchy. Toland edited this and other republican texts, Milton’s "Life", Ludlow’s "Memoirs", in the
late 1690s and established himself as one of the major writers of the ‘Commonwealthmen’. As with Ludlow’s "Memoirs"; he was not loath to make changes to the original text to suit his own purposes. Thomas Jefferson owned a copy of Harrington's work and was influential in the formation of the government of the United States. This edition contains additional material, Toland’s life of Harrington and Harrington's Political Tracts.

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