First Glasgow Edition, with scarce publisher’s advertisement leaf at end. “The Republic of Plato” was published in 1763. It was translated from Greek by H. Spens and includes the translator’s preliminary discourse concerning the ideas of the ancient philosophers. Plato’s “Republic” is his most famous and read dialogues. It is considered a cornerstone in Western philosophy as well as politics. Written by Greek philosopher Plato in approximately 380 B.C. in a Socratic dialogue, “Republic” examines justice regarding the just city-state and the just man in relation to order and character.

In the dialogue, Socrates debates the meaning of justice and the differences in happiness in regard to a just man verse an unjust man. In addition, other topics are discussed such as: the natures of regimes both existing and hypothetical, the soul and its immortality, and the role of a philosopher in society.