Mill’s Principles of Political Economy

This new edition of the Principles of Political Economy is the second item to appear in the University of Toronto’s projected collection of the works of John Stuart Mill, the Earlier Letters, reviewed in a recent number of Economica, being the first. The text is that of the seventh edition, together with variant readings from the previous six. There is an Introduction by the editor describing the history of the successive editions and explaining his technique of presentation; and there are nine Appendices reproducing not only the variant readings which are too long for footnote reproduction, but also correspondence relevant to the writing and revision of the Principles with Harriet Taylor (eventually Harriet Mill) and J. E. Cairnes. There is also a most helpful Bibliographical Index of persons and works cited, in addition to — what Mill never provided — an index of subjects.