Richard Whately; John Search - Consideration on the Law of Libel As Relating to Publications on the Subject of Religion

London, James Ridgway, 1833. First edition. Cloth. A very scarce first edition of this legal pamphlet regarding libel and the subject of religion. One leaf of publisher's adverts following the title page. The title page attributes the author as 'John Search&apos. This is a pseudonym for Richard Whately. Whately was a rhetorician, logician, economist and theologian. He was the reforming Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin for some time. This study is a legal examination on libel in the context of religious publications. In common law, blasphemy against Christianity was held as an offence from the 16th to the mid 19th century. It was used as a legal instrument to persecute individuals from other denominations and religions. It was not until 1838 that blasphemy was considered to be only a crime against the beliefs of the Church of England. This pamphlet sparked conversation, prompting an 1834 response 'The Law of Anti-Religious Libel Reconsidered, in a Letter to the Editor of the Christian Examiner&apos. A very smart example of this scarce work. In a recent full cloth binding. Externally, fine. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are generally bright. Prior owner's inscription to the head of title page. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are bright. Occasional light spots to pages. Near Fine . Ill.: None. Near Fine .

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