{"product_id":"the-political-economy-of-art-john-ruskin-1st-edition","title":"The Political Economy of Art, John Ruskin — 1st Edition","description":"\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"2\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"2\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003ePublication:\u003c\/b\u003e London, Smith, Elder, and Co., 1857\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"3\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"3\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eFormatting:\u003c\/b\u003e 8vo, pp. viii, 248.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"4\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"4\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eCondition Report:\u003c\/b\u003e Very Good. This copy remains remarkably well-preserved for a mid-nineteenth-century volume issued in the publisher's limp printed cloth; a notoriously fragile binding style. The structure remains firm, tight, and entirely square, avoiding the typical fatigue of the era, and is notably free from any tears to the binding or pages. The printed boards exhibit light, generalised surface soiling and minor rubbing to the extremities, alongside some expected age-toning to the spine, yet the printed typography and decorative borders remain fully legible and unrubbed. Internally, the hinges are sound, and the text block is pleasingly crisp and bright, showing only very occasional and minor localised spotting. A contemporary ownership inscription in ink is present to the upper margin of the title page. Overall, an honest, unrestored, and highly presentable survival that comfortably justifies its grade.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"5\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"5\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eCatalogue Note:\u003c\/b\u003e First edition, issued as part of the publisher's 'New Cheap Series of Original and Standard Works.' While many volumes from this period were subsequently rebound in half-leather or full calf by later owners, this copy retains its original, unadulterated limp printed cloth binding, rendering it an appealing example for the collector of Ruskin's original states.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"6\"\u003eThe upper margin of the title page bears an attractive, late-nineteenth-century presentation inscription in ink: \"Alice Radcliffe bought from A. Heslop for presentation to T. H. Radcliffe May. 1885.\" Copies surviving in their original casing without significant loss, repair, or restoration are distinctly uncommon on the open market.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"7\"\u003eOriginally delivered as a pair of lectures during the 1857 Art Treasures Exhibition in Manchester, \u003ci data-path-to-node=\"7\" data-index-in-node=\"106\"\u003eThe Political Economy of Art\u003c\/i\u003e (later reprinted as \u003ci data-path-to-node=\"7\" data-index-in-node=\"155\"\u003eA Joy for Ever\u003c\/i\u003e) marks a crucial turning point in John Ruskin's intellectual trajectory. In this work, the great Victorian polymath shifts his focus from pure aesthetic criticism toward a radical critique of nineteenth-century industrial capitalism. Speaking in the very birthplace of utilitarian economics, Ruskin vehemently opposed the \u003ci data-path-to-node=\"7\" data-index-in-node=\"492\"\u003elaissez-faire\u003c\/i\u003e principles of supply and demand, arguing instead that the true wealth of a nation lies in the ethical treatment of its workers, the moral responsibility of the state, and the public patronage of the arts. His passionate plea for a society that values human dignity and creative fulfilment over mechanical mass production fundamentally laid the groundwork for the Arts and Crafts movement and deeply influenced early socialist thought in Britain.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Broadhursts Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53539941450067,"sku":"3431-RM-VG-","price":120.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/1469\/6787\/files\/IMG_7066.heic?v=1784276871","url":"https:\/\/broadhurstsbooks.com\/products\/the-political-economy-of-art-john-ruskin-1st-edition","provider":"Broadhursts Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}