DERRIDA, Jacques.
L’écriture et la Différence (Writing and Difference).
Collection "Tel Quel" Aux Editions de Seuil, Paris: 1967
- $450
Half-title with the author's other works noted on the verso + TP + [7] = Quote page + 9 - 439 + [440] = Printer's information. Octavo. First Edition. A Lovely Copy of Derrida's Seminal Writing and DifferenceWriting and Difference is a collection of Jacques Derrida's essays written between 1959 and 1966 which has become a landmark of contemporary French thought because it clearly presents Derrida's deconstructive approach and was designed to accompany the other two works that he published in the same year-De La Grammatologie and La Voix et le Phenomene.Here we find Derrida at work on his systematic deconstruction of Western metaphysics. The book's first half, which includes the celebrated essay on Descartes and Foucault, shows the development of Derrida's method of deconstruction. In these essays, Derrida demonstrates the traditional nature of some purportedly nontraditional currents of modern thought-one of his main targets being the way in which "structuralism" unwittingly repeats metaphysical concepts in its use of linguistic models.The second half of the book contains some of Derrida's most compelling analyses of why and how metaphysical thinking must exclude writing from its conception of language, finally showing metaphysics to be constituted by this exclusion. These essays on Artaud, Freud, Bataille, Hegel, and Lévi-Strauss have served as introductions to Derrida's notions of writing and différence-the untranslatable formulation of a nonmetaphysical "concept" that does not exclude writing-for almost a generation of students of literature, philosophy, and psychoanalysis.Writing and Difference reveals the unacknowledged program that makes thought itself possible. In analyzing the contradictions inherent in this program, Derrida goes on to develop new ways of thinking, reading, and writing-new ways based on the most complete and rigorous understanding of the old ways. Readers from all disciplines find Writing and Difference to be an excellent introduction to perhaps the most challenging of contemporary French thinkers-challenging because Derrida questions thought as we know it. Publisher's original printed wraps. The spine is lightly creased from reading, but otherwise this is an excellent copy which shows no signs of wear, tear or use. ADDITIONAL PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.
More from Athena Rare Books
Essays in Radical Empiricism.
1 leaf with book ads on verso + TP + iii-[xiii] = Editor's Preface + [xv] = Contents + 1-[283] + 1 blank leaf, Octavo. First Edition (McDermott 1912-1) First Edition of William James' Essays in Radical EmpiricismSelected Before His Death to Present a Systematic Outline of His Theories"Edited, with a Preface, by Ralph Barton Perry. The title and the contents of this volume were virtually selected by the author himself several years before his death. It was his aim to present systematically, the outlines of the doctrine of 'Radical Empiricism' which he regarded as of not less importance than 'Pragmatism'" (McDermott. p. 853).This collection includes James's groundbreaking essays "Does Consciousness Exist?" and "A World of Pure Experience" in which he explains one of his fundamental ideas: that mind and matter are both aspects of, or structures formed from, a more fundamental stuff - pure experience - that (despite the fact that it is called "experience") is neither mental nor physical. Pure experience, James explains, is "the immediate flux of life which furnishes the material to our later reflection with its conceptual categories " William James at his finest on his psychological theories! Original publisher's green covers (remarkably well preserved) with paper label to the spine which is very lightly worn and 100% readable (a rarity with James' books). A near fine copy of this final work prepared by William James as a systematic presentation of this ideas. ADDITIONAL PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. Leviathan, sive De Materia, Forma, & Potestate Civitatis Ecclesiasticaæ et Civilis (Leviathan, or the Matter, Form & Power of a Commonwealth, Ecclesiastical and Civil).
HOBBES, Thomas. TP + [i]-[ii] = Dedication + 1-365 + [366]-[368] = Index Capitum + [369]-[378] = Index + [379] = Scripturæ Sacræ & Erratum + 1 blank leaf, small Quarto. First Separate Latin Edition (MacDonald & Hargreaves #45). The Important First Separate Latin Edition of Leviathan with all of Hobbes' Final RevisionsThis is the first separate edition of this book (M&H #45) from 1670. This Latin text first appeared two years earlier in the Opera Philosophica also published by Joannem Blaeu (M&H #104) which contained eight different works by Hobbes. During an age when English was little spoken and rarely read across the Channel, this Latin version is tremendously significant because it made Hobbes' most important and controversial work (first published in 1651) finally accessible to European readers. This Latin edition was, then, essential to the dissemination and understanding of Hobbes' ideas within the scholarly community of his day. Over and above that important distinction, this volume contains an entirely new Appendix - presented in a "Question & Answer" format - with sections devoted to the Nicene Creed, to Heresy and Replies to Objections. Moreover, as MacDonald and Hargreaves note in their Addendum, "The Latin version of Leviathan differs considerably from the English: it is the Latin versions in which Hobbes really expressed his opinions In his Latin version he was less concerned with personalities" (M&H, p. xvi). Contemporary full calf binding with five raised bands and a red field with gilt lettering for title and author to the spine. The corners and edges are all pretty uniformly worn, but this is a sound and solid binding. Overall, a lovely copy of this important work by Hobbes and his major contribution to what Johnathan Israel has termed The Radical Enlightenment. ADDITIONAL PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.- $4,250
- $4,250
Méditations Cartésiennes, Introduction a la Phénoménologie (Cartesian Meditations, An Introduction to Phenomenology).
HUSSERL, Edmond. Half-title + TP + [V]-VII =Avertissment + [1]-136. Large octavo. First Edition in Original Wraps. Madinier's First Edition Copy of Husserl's Meditations CartesiennesFrench Philosopher Gabriel Madinier (1895 - 1958) has signed his name in pencil to the top corner of the half title. His most important book was Consciousness and Movement (1938) a spiritual evaluation of French philosophy from Condillac to Bergson. His professed understanding of "self" might best be summarized by the following: "The subject is best reflected in what can be called spiritual experience. There he becomes aware of his true being by a conversion towards that principle and thereby enjoys the unity glimpsed from that experience. In every spiritual experience, the subject feels enriched, open and uplifted by forces that go beyond him, and he discovers there the immediate certainty of meanings that are valid in themselves.The true first edition of this work appeared in French in 1931. It is Husserl's main work of transcendental phenomenology and it had a profound impact on French philosophy for several decades afterwards. This seminal work is based on the lectures Husserl gave at the Sorbonne in 1929. Over the next couple of years, he, together with his assistant Eugen Fink, expanded and elaborated upon the text of the lectures and then had Emmanuel Lévinas and Gabrielle Peiffer translate them. Husserl was always partial to this translation of his work which is to his phenomenology using Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy as a starting point for discussion - showing how Descartes discovered the "transcendental" perspective which is essential to any genuine philosophy.INSERTED into this copy is a mimeographed sheet sent by the Societe francaise de Philosophie explaining the arrival of this important book to subscribers, but DO TO SPACE LIMITATIONS ON ABE THE TEXT IS NOT INCLUDED HERE - PLEASE EMAIL FOR THIS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.: Original tan wraps which are lightly soiled with black lettering front and back. The spine has perished and been professionally replaced with a near perfectly matching blank replacement. Housed a custom green clamshell box with a black calf label. An amazingly well-preserved copy of this notoriously rare, important and delicate work by Husserl. ADDITIONAL PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.- $2,250
- $2,250
Was Heisst Denken? (What is Thinking?).
HEIDEGGER, Martin. TP + [i] = Dedication page + [iii] = Inhalt + [v] = Vorbemerkung + 1-[175], Octavo. First Edition."For an acquaintance with the thought of Heidegger, What Is Called Thinking? is as important as Being and Time. It is the only systematic presentation of the thinker's late philosophy and . . . it is perhaps the most exciting of his books." (Hannah Arendt)From the Introduction:We come to know what it means to think when we ourselves try to think. If the attempt is to be successful, we must be ready to learn thinking.As soon as we allow ourselves to become involved in such learning, we have admitted that we are not yet capable of thinking.Yet man is called the being who can think, and rightly so. Man is the rational animal. Reason, ratio, evolves in thinking. Being the rational animal, man must be capable of thinking if he really wants to. Still, it may be that man wants to think, but can't. Perhaps he wants too much when he wants to think, and so can do too little. Publisher's original dust jacket with brown lettering to the front cover and the spine over the original brown boards with gilt lettering on the spine. An immaculate, almost "as new" copy of this important work by Heidegger. ADDITIONAL PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.- $250
- $250
Versuch einer Critik aller Offenbarung (Attempt at a Critique of All Revelation).
FICHTE, Johann Gottlieb. TP + [1]-182, Octavo. First Edition, First Issue. (Lauth/Jacob 2a; Baumgartner/Jacobs A1.2?x)First Edition of Fichte's First Book - Popularly Attributed to Kant as his Fourth CritikFichte's first work, which was published anonymously. With the title-vignette by Johann Wilhelm Meil. The first printing of the first edition appeared without the author's name on the title page and without the introduction. Fichte was impressed by Kant and strongly influenced by his transcendental philosophy. He went to meet the great philosopher in person but was initially received very cooly. In response, he wrote the present work in five short weeks applying Kant's ethical theory of duty to the interpretation of religion and submitted it to Kant as a way of gaining the philosopher's favor. The book met with Kant's approval and he found a publisher for the manuscript. By mistake, Fichte's name and the preface were omitted in the first printing and the book was popularly attributed to Kant. It was thought that this was Kant's fourth Critik, a fact that helped gain Fichte a wide and admiring readership. Subsequently, the work was reviewed favorably in the "Jenaische Literaturzeitung" - the critic claiming that Kant's style was unmistakable. This prompted Kant to publish a statement on July 3, 1792 naming Fichte as the real author, who became instantly famous. Among those who admired the book was Goethe who in 1794 secured Fichte a position teaching philosophy at the University of Jena in Weimar. Contemproary leather with gilt decorations around the edges of the front and rear boards. Spine with the author and title gilt on a red field with gilt decorations covering the rest of the spine. An absolutely gorgeous copy of Fichte's first book. ADDITIONAL PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.- $2,500
- $2,500
Ueber das Wesen des Gelehrten, und seine Erscheinungen im Gebiete der Freiheit (On the Essence of the Scholar, and its manifestations).
FICHTE, Johann Gottlieb. 1 blank leah + TP + [III]-IV = Vorrede + [V]-VI = Inhalt + [1]-215 + 1 blank leaf, small Octavo. First Edition. (Lauth.Jacob 62; Baumgarner/Jacobs A1.62x)First Edition of Fichte's Defense of the Scholarly Life"In 1805, Fichte obtained a single-term appointment as a visiting professor at the University of Erlangen, where he presented yet another version of the Wissenschaftslehre and delivered another series of public lectures on the duties of scholars. The latter were published in 1806 as Ueber das Wesen des Gelehrten (On the Essence of the Scholar)."(Dictionary of Eighteenth-Century German Philosophers). Contemporary green marbled boards ¾ leather with five raised bands and gilt lettering on the spine. With the bookplate ("En Dieu Est Tout" - i.e. In God Is Everything) of Edward Wyllys Taylor to the inside front cover with his inked notation at the bottom that the book was bought in "Berlin. Nov. 1891" and his last name, "Taylor", written in pencil to the top corner of the title page. Overall, a beautiful copy. ADDITIONAL PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.- $350
- $350
Das System der Sittenlehre nach den Principien der Wissenschaftslehre, (The System of a Theory of Morals as Based on the Science of Knowledge).
FICHTE, Johann Gottlieb. TP + [I]-XVIII = einleitung + [XIX]-[XX] = Publisher's notices + [XXI-XXII] = Inhalt + [1]-494, small Octavo. First Edition (Lauth/Jacob 36; Baumgartner/Jacobs A1.36x).The Foundation of the Practical Side of Fichte's System"The practical [side of his system] was expounded in the 'Foundation of Natural Right', c. 1796, and the 'System of a Theory of Morals', 1798" (PMM, p. 147). But Fichte was very far from concentrating exclusively on the theoretical deduction of consciousness. He laid great stress on the moral end of the development of consciousness or, in more concrete terms, on the moral purpose of human existence. And we find him publishing in 1796 the Basis of Natural Right (Grundlage de Naturrechts) and in 1798 The System of Ethics (Das System der Sittenlehre). Both subjects are said to be treated 'according to the principles of the theory of science'. But the works are much more than mere appendages to the Wissenschaftslehre. For they display the true character of Fichte's philosophy, that is, as a system of ethical idealism." (Copleston, 7, I, p. 52) Contemporary brown speckled boards ¾ leather with gilt ruled compartments on the spine with the title and author in gilt on a red field in the second compartment. The top of the spine is very lightly chipped and the corners are a bit worn. With a former owner's (Erik Furas Bok) bookplate to the inside front cover. Overalll, this a well preserved and very presentable binding. Internally it is bright, tight and clean making it, overall, a very attractive copy. ADDITIONAL PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.- $750
- $750
Views of Society and Manners in America: in a Series of letters from that Country to a Friend in England during the Years 1818, 1819, and 1820. By an Englishwoman.
[WRIGHT, Frances]. TP + [iii]-iv = Dedication + [v] = Advertisement + [vii]-x = Contents + [1]-523. Octavo. First Edition. An account by an altogether original feminist's and first utilitarian philosopher's initial visit to America. Praised by lovers of America, it was published locally in the United States, France, Holland and Sweden. The book went through a series of editions and brought Wright into contact with four American Presidents, General Lafayette in Paris, along with Jeremy Bentham and a host of other famous and influential figures in England. Wright was scandalized by the contradiction of racial slavery in the US and ends this work by claiming that the President of the United States had assured her in 1820 that "the day is not very far distant when a slave will not be found in America." (p. 523)Her second visit to America in 1825 was with the 61-year-old General Lafayette and caused a different kind of notoriety. By the end of that second visit, she had become an American reformer with the mission of ending slavery and pushing the United States into the fullness of its promise that "all men were created equal." Original publisher's green boards with a ½ brown cloth spine with the original spine label almost perfectly preserved (the "S" from "Society" is worn off). The edges of the spine are lightly split a several places. With an old owner's name (W. Newsome) in black ink to the top right corner of the front free endpaper. An absolutely lovely untrimmed, wide-margined copy of this important and interesting work by Wright. ADDITIONAL PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.- $2,500
- $2,500
La condition ouvriere (The Working Conditions).
WEIL, Simone. Half title with publisher's advertisement on the verso + TP + [7]-56 + tipped in facing pages reproducing two pages from her famous "Factory Journal" + 57-273 + [275] = Table + [276] = Printer's information [dated September 12, 1951]. Tall octavo. First Edition (Little Aa9).Weil Reports on the Horrible Working Condition of the French ProletariatNobel Prize Winner, Saint-Leger's CopyFrom the library of Alex Saint-Leger who wrote under the pseudonym Saint-John Perse and won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1960. With his underlined initials (A. S. L.) to the front free endpaper in pencil. Accompanied by E. Wharton & Co.'s original description of the item and Priscilla Juvelis' handwritten note to famed collector Lord Eccles attesting to the validity of the provenance. Weil's meditations on the mechanization of labor and the increasingly hazardous and inhumane conditions of the working class. During her factory years (1934-1935) Weil endeavored to personally experience the "proletarian condition" by enlisting as a manual laborer in various factories throughout suburban Paris. During her time in the factories, she rendered detailed accounts in her journal of the workers' daily struggles, including the grueling hours, the monotonous work, and their merciless treatment amidst the dangerous machines and equipment. Publisher's original wraps with green lettering to the front and back covers and the spine. Showing just the mildest bit of aging to the covers and spine. A remarkable association copy of Weil's work, which remains a penetrating meditation on life, work, and fulfillment the modern West. ADDITIONAL PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.- $800
- $800
Seven Articles in Cahiers du Sud.
WEIL, Simone. Seven issues, each in the original wrappers. A Superb Collection of Seven Essays by Simone Weil Published in Les Cahiers du Sud between 1941 and 1947This collection of Weil's contributions to Les Cahiers du Sud stands as an enduring testament to her revolutionary genius and vision-a vision that soared well beyond the confines of her short but very active life. Les Cahiers du Sud was an avantgarde, ultraliberal review that published poetry, essays, literary criticism, and cultural commentary from Marseille between 1925 and 1966. Jean Ballard, its founder and editor-in-chief, never turned away the works of writers who, for political reasons, could not find publishers elsewhere, among them Weil, Georges Bataille, Paul Valéry, Walter Benjamin and Antonin Artaud. Weil published eight articles in the magazine between 1940 and 1943, many of them under the pseudonym "Emile Novis," which was a loose anagram of her name (and likely a disguise of her Jewish surname). Following her death in August of 1943 at the age of thirty-four, the magazine continued to publish her works. This collection includes her essays "A propos des Jocistes" ("About the Workers"), "La Philosophie" ("The Philosophy"), "L'Avenir de la Science" ("The Future of Science"), and "Reflexions à propos de law Théorie des Quanta" ("Reflections on Quantum Theory"), and "L'Iliade ou le Poème de la Force" (The Iliad or the Poem of Force), among others published both before and after her death. During her days spent among the writers and editors of the magazine in Marseilles, Weil filled detailed notebooks with material for future articles and essays. Although her works were little known during her lifetime, they were posthumously assembled, published, and celebrated throughout the world in the years after her death - leading many to identify her as a modern saint.Despite this informal canonization, these works show her more secular side, highlighting her intellectual sensitivity to the turbulence of the world around her: included are her detailed reports on the status of local workers coalitions, criticisms of philosophical trends, and numerous complex attempts to grapple with the nearly incomprehensible tragedy of World War II - all of which demonstrate her immense skill as a writer and sophistication as a thinker. PLEASE SEE OUR CATALOG 23 "20th Century Women Philosophers" for a complete description of all seven of these rare publications. There is a small "Specimen" stamp to the covers of the April and May 1941 issues; minor toning throughout; more pronounced toning to the wrappers of the 1943 issue, with pages uncut, and glassine wrap over wrappers. This collection assembles many, but not all, of the articles and essays known to have been published by Simone Weil, some under her pseudonym, "Emile Novis," in the pages of the French literary magazine Les Cahiers du Sud. An amazingly well-preserved set of these delicate war and post-war publications. ADDITIONAL PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.- $3,000
- $3,000
