8vo. [14], 156pp. With an initial catalogue of publisher's advertisements. Uncut in modern mustard cloth boards, lettered in gilt to spine. Uneven fading to boards. Evidence of bookplate removal to FEP. Occasional light spotting.

The second edition of a notable reformist tract by English philosopher Jeremy Bentham's (1748-1832), originally published the previous year, but written almost a decade earlier in 1809. The work was declined an inclusion in William Cobbett's Political Register, likely due to its controversial reformist elements - within, Bentham describes his support for annual elections, secret voting, and suffrage for those paying relative tax. Bentham's views became more radical as his parliamentary career progressed - within the 1817 issue, the original reformist text is prefaced by a lengthy treatise on the necessity of radical reform, the panacea of 'Democratic Ascendancy', and the immorality of Tory bribery. Bentham, considered the founder of modern utilitarianism, is best known today for his early work in support of animal welfare, women's suffrage, and his creation of an ultimately ill-fated prison project, now familiar as a design for the 'panopticon'.