James Fitzjames Stephen — Liberty, Equality, Fraternity

London, Smith, Elder & Co, 1873 . First edition. Cloth. The very scarce first edition of James Fitzjames Stephen's prominent critique of John Stuart Mills's 'On Liberty&apos. A very scarce first edition.The work of English lawyer, judge, writer, and philosopher James Fitzjames Stephen, the uncle of Virginia Woolf.This important argument against John Stuart Mills's 'On Liberty' argues for legal compulsion, coercion and restraint in the interests of morality and religion, and argues that 'force is an absolutely essential element of all law whatever&apos.Termed the "finest exposition of conservative thought in the latter half of the 19th century" by Sir Ernest Barker, and listed as as one of Ten Conservative Books to read by influential 20th-century American conservative Russel Kirk, this is an important and very scarce first edition. In the publisher's original cloth binding. Bumping and losses of cloth to back strip head and tail. Fading to front board head. Tail of front joint and head and tail of rear joint starting, with boards somewhat tenderly held. Internally, generally firmly bound. Pages clean and bright. Good . Ill.: None. Good .