Wollstonecraft, Mary.

8vo (227 x 137mm.), volume 1 (all published), first edition, original boards, uncut, preserved in blue cloth slipcase, some very little light marginal staining, neatly repaired tear on L5 and N4 (slightly affecting a few letters), lacking backstrip

Windle A5a; PMM 242; Todd 9; not in Rothschild

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, when appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A tall copy in the original boards of this rare work, crucial in the history of women's struggle for emancipation, a century ahead of its time. The author wrote to Talleyrand, the dedicatee, that her main argument was "built on the simple principle that, if woman be not prepared by education to become the companion of man, she will stop the progress of knowledge, for truth must be common to all... The main part of her book was written in equally plain and direct style, and it was this, as well as the idea of writing a book on the subject at all, which caused the outcry which ensued... she argued for equality of education for both sexes, and for state control and co-education. It was a rational plea for a rational basis to the relation between the sexes... Its chief object was to show that women were not the playthings of men but ought to be their equal partners, which they could only be if they were educated in the same way" (PMM). There was much critical reaction, with Horace Walpole describing Mary as a "hyena in petticoats," while Hannah More found the very title so ridiculous that she publicly expressed her intention never to read it.