Montesquieu: Selected Political Writings

Description

The essential political writings of Montesquieu--a substantial abridgment of The Spirit of the Laws, plus judicious selections from The Persian Letters and Considerations of the Romans' Greatness and Decline--are masterfully translated by Melvin Richter. Prefaced by a new fifty-page introduction by Richter for this revised edition, The Selected Political Writings displays the genius and virtuosity of Montesquieu the philosopher, social critic, political theorist, and literary stylist, whose work commands the attention of all students of the Enlightenment and of modern constitutional thought.

Professor Richter has long been one of our most knowledgeable commentators on the French intellectual tradition. Having written on Montesquieu, Tocqueville, and Durkheim, he is well positioned to provide us not only with an historically informed translation of Montesquieu's major writings, but also with an excellent introduction to what is important about Montesquieu as a thinker. --Lawrence Dickey, University of Wisconsin I am delighted that you are getting out a new edition of Melvin Richter's translation. Again and again when I have had occasion to give serious attention to Montesquieu, I have turned to this work. --Samuel H. Beer, Harvard University Richter has done us a real service by providing a version that is both scholarly and handy for teaching. The translation is generally sound, often clearer and more readable than the older version. There is a useful introduction and a helpful and reliable set of notes. . . . Richter's version will now become the standard version for many of us. --Nannerl O. Keohane, Political Science Review VI (1976)