SIGNED — A PREFACE TO MORALS, By Walter Lippmann — 1st Edition / 1st Printing, 1929 Publisher:
G.P. Putnam and Sons, London and New York (1929)
Scarce, signed, first edition, first printing from 1929 of "A Preface to Morals" by Walter Lippmann in very well preserved condition. The boards and binding are solid and tight with minimal shelfwear.
The pages are crisp and clean, save for the author's signed dedication and a previous owner’s bookplate on the inside board. 348 pp. The dust jacket has a few tears — please see images — including a tear which runs the length of the dust jacket’s front cover. The dust jacket remains uncut, with the original price still present. It is rare to find a first printing, signed copy of the book with a dust jacket.
Walter Lippmann was an influential journalist and political theorist of the 20th century. A Preface to Morals, his most well-known and influential book, was first published in 1929. In the work, Lippmann argues that in modern society traditional religious faith has lost its power to function as a source of moral authority. He asserts that ancient religious doctrine is no longer relevant to the conditions of modern life: governments have become increasingly democratized, populations have moved from rural to urban environments, and tradition in general is not suited to the dictates of modernity. Further, the democratic policy of the separation of church and state has created an atmosphere of religious tolerance, which suggests that religious faith is a matter of preference.
