The Project Gutenberg EBook of Essays: Scientific, Political, &
Speculative, Vol. I, by Herbert Spencer

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Title: Essays: Scientific, Political, & Speculative, Vol. I

Author: Herbert Spencer

Release Date: August 31, 2009 [EBook #29869]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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Transcriber's note

Minor punctuation errors have been changed without notice. Printer
errors have been changed and are listed at the end. All other
inconsistencies are as in the original.

ESSAYS:

SCIENTIFIC, POLITICAL, & SPECULATIVE.

BY

HERBERT SPENCER.

LIBRARY EDITION,

(OTHERWISE FIFTH THOUSAND)

_Containing Seven Essays not before Republished, and various other
additions._

VOL. I.

WILLIAMS AND NORGATE,
14, HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON:
AND 20. SOUTH FREDERICK STREET. EDINBURGH.
1891.

LONDON:
G. NORMAN AND SON, PRINTERS, HART STREET,
COVENT GARDEN.

PREFACE

Excepting those which have appeared as articles in periodicals during
the last eight years, the essays here gathered together were originally
re-published in separate volumes at long intervals. The first volume
appeared in December 1857; the second in November 1863; and the third in
February 1874. By the time the original editions of the first two had
been sold, American reprints, differently entitled and having the essays
differently arranged, had been produced; and, for economy's sake, I have
since contented myself with importing successive supplies printed from
the American stereotype plates. Of the third volume, however, supplies
have, as they were required, been printed over here, from plates partly
American and partly English. The completion of this final edition of
course puts an end to this make-shift arrangement.

The essays above referred to as having been written since 1882, are now
incorporated with those previou