This section of the John Locke Bibliography
is an updated version of
The Works of John Locke : A Comprehensive Bibliography
from the Seventeenth Century to the Present, published by Greenwood Press in 1985.
In the process of converting the text to HTML, a number of errors in the original have been corrected,
although some errors have yet to be corrected.
New material published since 1985 has been added, indicated by New in the left margin.
Some entries have been substantially revised, indicated by Rev. in the left margin.
The numbering of the original has been preserved, new items being fit into the sequence
by adding upper-case letters to the numbers.
INTRODUCTION
John Locke was born in 1632.
He published three of his most significant works in 1689,
in the midst of a period which Paul Hazard has called the “crisis of European
consciousness.”1
Locke’s works, written in English and popularized in French reviews and translations,
contributed to a climate of scepticism, enthusiastic scientific observation and experimentation,
and religious and political liberty. He was one of the thinkers whose ideas laid the foundations
for the Enlightenment, and thus for “modern” philosophy and science.
His works are still studied today by scholars interested in the history and perennial problems
of a wide range of disciplines.
Locke is a major figure in the history of philosophy2
as the author of a “classic” work (An essay concerning human understanding) which pointed philosophers in directions they are still exploring. In 1976, J. L. Mackie published a discussion of some major topics in current philosophy which owe significant formulations to Locke.3
His list includes such topics as primary and secondary qualities and the nature of substance, perception, abstraction,
and personal identity. Locke was also one of the first philosophers
to note the importance of language in philosophical discourse.
Locke’s contributions to political theory at one time seemed equally significant.
His Two treatises of government (1689) was considered the model defense of the Glorious Revolution
and an important influence on the American revolutionaries. Historians of political thought are now re-evaluating his influence
(see “Early notices of the Two Treatises”)
and stressing the uniqueness of his ideas. At the same time, his influence on political philosophy continues.
Two significant recent works — John Rawls’ A theory of justice (1971) and
Robert Nozick’s Anarchy, state and utopia (1974) — base major arguments on Locke’s ideas
of the social contract, the state of nature, and property rights.
In addition, his ideas on toleration are studied today for their central role in his own thought,
as well as for their contribution to the battle against intolerance, censorship and the repression of human rights —
a battle where final victory seems always elusive.
Locke’s thoughts on education have maintained their popularity and influence
since they were first published in 1693. He wrote during an era when children were coming to be seen as children, as human beings in a family and social setting who had not yet developed their bodies and minds.
Historians and theorists of education trace the origin of modern ideas of developmental psychology to Locke.
In recent decades, we have been reminded that Locke considered himself a physician by profession
and that he studied with some of the most advanced scientific and medical minds of his day
(in particular, Boyle, Sydenham, and Newton).4 Likewise, scholars have described Locke’s participation in the administration under William III and the influence of his views on economic and colonial policy.
Ironically, the contributions which have attracted the least attention from recent scholars are his theological and Biblical studies, which Locke clearly saw as the culmination of his life’s work.
Locke thus made significant contributions in a variety of disciplines:
philosophy, political science, education, religion, economics, science and medicine.
His work in all these areas is the subject of scholarly research by a growing band of scholars from all nations.
These scholars have access to a wealth of resources, including a rich collection of Locke’s manuscripts
(drafts of his works, diaries, notebooks, correspondence, etc.)
and many of the books from his library.5
His major works have been widely translated, and
a definitive edition of his works is currently being published by the Clarendon Press.
There is even an annual journal, Locke Studies, devoted to Locke studies.
There is one major item absent from this list of resources.
There is no single, comprehensive bibliography of Locke's works and of critical writings about Locke.
The last such bibliography was compiled by H. O. Christophersen in 1930;
it is now out-of-date, incomplete, uneven in its standards of description, and lacks an adequate index.
While there have been various attempts to bring it up-to-date, it has yet to be completely superseded.
The present volume is part of such a comprehensive bibliographical resource.
It covers the most pressing need: for a listing of Locke’s works, the editions and translations
which have appeared, and the controversial context in which they were written.6
SCOPE: The following listing encompasses all editions and translations of Locke’s works,
including abridgments and selections in anthologies, from the first editions to the present (roughly April 1985),
as well as the forthcoming Clarendon edition (see Locke #861).
In addition, Locke’s works are set in their original controversial context: entries are included for works Locke wrote about,
and sections of entries are given for the controversies which his works provoked
during and immediately following his lifetime.7
The listing of Locke’s works includes not only those items of which he was the author, but also several works which he edited or translated and two works in which his role is uncertain. Finally, there is an appendix of incorrect or doubtful attributions: works that have been ascribed to Locke but in which it is reasonably certain that he had no part.
The entries in the checklist contain extensive bibliographical annotations:
relationships to other works, citations of secondary literature relating to bibliographic issues such as dating, publishing history, corrections to the text, etc.
ARRANGEMENT: Locke’s works are arranged chronologically
by date of first publication.8 Under each work, complete texts in the original language appear first,
followed by abridged versions, selections and translations (arranged by language, with full texts preceding abridgments and selections). Finally, I have included sections of early notices, attacks, and defenses of Locke’s works. In these, the item numbers of works not by Locke appear in brackets and the entries begin with the author’s name.
Near the end of the list, corresponding to the date of Locke’s death in 1704,
there is a brief section of early biographical sketches, followed by the works first published after Locke’s death.
This includes editions of his correspondence and collected editions of his works. Works published from his manuscripts appear at the end, according to the date of first publication, not the date of composition.
An appendix, described above, lists works incorrectly attributed to Locke.
In most cases, each edition is represented by a separate entry,
while variant issues or states within an edition are noted under the single descriptive entry.
However, by the nineteenth century, the practices of machine printing may have deprived this distinction
of much of its meaning. For this reason — and to avoid extensive repetition —
I have in some cases combined entries for basically similar versions,
particularly of An essay concerning human understanding and Of the conduct of the understanding.
The variable information is listed in the notes.
DESCRIPTIVE STANDARDS: One of the difficulties with the existing bibliographic tools dealing with Locke is their inadequate and inconsistent standards of description.
Ideally, what is needed is a formal descriptive bibliography, compiled by examination of multiple surviving copies of each edition, transcription of the bibliographic information in precise detail, and identification
of each variant issue or state of the text. Such a formal bibliography has been prepared by Jean S. Yolton.
The present work offers a checklist of editions with notes on such variants as I have discovered.
It is based, whenever possible, upon personal examination of at least one copy of each edition.
Where I have been unable to see the item, an asterisk appears before the item number and the source
of the information is identified. In other cases, the information given has been transcribed directly
from the item according to one of two descriptive standards:
- To 1800: For books published in 1800 or earlier, the descriptions follow the rules
devised for the Eighteenth-century short-title catalogue.9
The wording and punctuation of the title page is transcribed, omitting only quotations, authors' affiliations, and publishers’ addresses. The order of elements in a typical entry is:
Title. Subtitle. Author’s name [supplied in brackets if known but not appearing
on the title page]. Edition statement. Place of publication, names of publishers,
and date of publication. Paging and format.
The number of pages is recorded (accounting for all leaves with letterpress on either side).
The bibliographic format (2o for folio, 4o. for quarto, 8o. for octavo, etc.)
has been determined from the item itself whenever possible; catalogs are often misleading in their identification of format.
- Since 1800: For books published after 1800, the descriptions follow the International Standard Bibliographic Description,10
an internationally-devised and maintained specification of the elements
which make up a standard description, the prescribed order in which those elements are to be transcribed
and the distinctive marks of punctuation which identify each element.
The following represents a typical entry:
Title or short title : subtitle and remainder of title information /
first statement of responsibility ; subsequent statement of responsibility. –
Edition statement. – Place of publication ; second place of publication : name of publisher :
name of second publisher, date of publication. – Number of volumes or pages. –
(Series statement, following the same format as title statements). – Notes.
In the case where the title page gives information in more than one language,
the title statement gives information in each language, separated by “ = ”.
Other elements, such as edition and imprint statements, are given in the first language only.
To date, the ISBDs do not cover items published as an integral part of another item,
such as periodical articles or chapters in a book.
There is, however, a draft ISBD for such “component parts,” and the principle is clear.
The description includes two levels: for the specific part described and for the item which contains it.
The relevant elements are transcribed for each level, separated by “ // IN:” and the description
of the containing item includes as a final note the location (volume, date and/or pages) of the specific item described within the containing item. Note 2 and note 4 are examples
of such descriptions.
ANNOTATIONS:
Bibliographic notes of various types have been included:
- “Issued with” notes are given for items with separate title pages but routinely found
with other works. Norris’s Cursory reflections [Locke #[435]), for example,
was always attached to one or the other of Norris’s other works.
- In some cases, only a part of the item described is by Locke.
That part is indicated by a note beginning “See …”
- Variant issues or states, bibliographical peculiarities, and (in some cases) other editions
are identified in notes.
- Notes may indicate the relationship of the work described to other works cited.
- Citations are given to secondary works which discuss bibliographic points
such as dating and publishing history, or provide corrections to the text of the edition described.
- Reviews of significant works are noted. The listing of contemporary reviews of works published
before 1714 is fairly complete; these reviews played a significant role in the spread of Locke’s ideas
outside England. The lists of reviews of later works, on the other hand, is suggestive
rather than comprehensive.
- Items which have not been directly verified are marked by an asterisk preceding the item number.
The source of the information is given in a note, unless it is the same as the bibliographic citations
(see #8).
- Citations are provided to descriptions in other Locke bibliographies or in standard listings
such as Wing’s Short-title catalogue. See the list of abbreviations.
Of particular interest are the citations to Harrison and Laslett’s catalog of the books
in Locke’s library. It is intriguing to note which editions and translations of his works
and which controversial works Locke owned.
INCORRECT OR DOUBTFUL ATTRIBUTIONS:
Works which have been falsely attributed to Locke are listed in the appendix.
Titles are given in chronological order of first publication, with a listing of editions
and notes on the source and merits of the attribution, and the identity of the true author when known.
Items in the appendix are assigned a separate sequence of numbers,
which are preceded by an “A”.
INDEXES: There are three indexes. The Name/Title Index includes the names of editors, translators,
authors of prefaces, reviews, controversial works, etc.
Names are entered according to preferred national usage.11
In a few exceptional cases, titles of anonymous and pseudonymous works are included in the Name/Title Index.
For the titles of Locke’s works, see the Table of Contents above.
The Subject Index includes some entries for works by Locke,
usually minor works or selections on very specific topics.
The Language Index lists the works by Locke which have been translated into foreign languages.
Under each language, the works are arranged by the date of the first translation.
ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS: Compiling bibliographic information is a cumulative task
and one that never reaches an end. No work is ever definitive; no work, in fact, remains current
even so long as it takes for the text to appear in print. This project continues, and I will be happy
to correct any errors and to add any new items which are brought to my attention.
Work also continues on the remaining part of the project: the literature about Locke.
It already comprises some 5000 entries, the largest such file I am aware of.
It is extensively indexed by name, title, date, and subject. I welcome inquiries on particular topics
or notices of new material.
_________________________
1 P. Hazard,
La crise de la conscience europeenne (1680-1715) / Paul Hazard. –
Paris : Boivin, c1935. – English translation: The European mind : the critical years, 1680-1715 /
by Paul Hazard ; [translation by J. Lewis May]. – New Haven : Yale University Press, 1953.
2 Bruce Kuklick has traced the significance
of some “great thinkers” in the historiography of British and American philosophy;
see “Seven thinkers and how they grew : Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz; Locke, Berkeley, Hume; Kant” / Bruce Kuklick. // IN:
Philosophy in history : essays on the historiography of philosophy /
edited by Richard Rorty, J.B. Schneewind, Quentin Skinner. –
Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 1984. – (Ideas in context). – p. 125-139.
3 Problems from Locke / by J.L. Mackie. –
Oxford : Clarendon Press, 1976. – ix, 237 p.
4 The importance of Locke’s medical studies in the development of his philosophy has recently been stressed by Patrick Romanell:
John Locke and medicine : a new key to Locke / by Patrick Romanell. –
Buffalo, N.Y. : Prometheus Books, 1984. – 225 p.
5 Most of Locke’s books and manuscripts have now been collected
at the Bodleian Library at Oxford; see R. J. Roberts,
“The John Locke Room in the Bodleian Library, Oxford” / R.J. Roberts. // IN:
Locke newsletter. – 9 (1978):21-25.
6 This was written before the publication of
Jean S. Yolton’s John Locke : a descriptive bibliography
(Thoemmes Press, 1998), which now provides a detailed and rigorous description of editions and translations published before 1800.
7 Most of the controversies died down before Locke’s death
in 1704, but some lasted longer. In general, I have taken 1714 (the date of the first collected edition
of Locke’s works) as the cut-off date for the sections of controversial works.
8 An exception is made for Locke’s replies to attacks
on his works, which are included in chronological order among the controversial works.
9 The eighteenth-century short title catalogue.
The cataloguing rules. – New edition / revised by J.C. Zeeman. –
London : The British Library, 1984. – 113 p. –
I have modified the rules slightly, in the direction of exact transcription of title-page punctuation.
10 The ISBD standard is embodied in individual documents
for different types of material; the framework is given in: ISBD(G) : general International Standard Bibliographic Description : annotated text / International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions ; prepared by the Working Group on the General International Standard Bibliographic Description
set up by the IFLA Committee on Cataloguing. –
London : IFLA International Office for UBC, 1977. – x, 24 p.
11 See Names of persons : national usages for entry
in catalogues / International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions ;
compiled by the IFLA International Office for UBC. – 3rd edition. –
London : The Office, 1977. – x, 193 p.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Bibliographers
build on each other’s work. They are odd fish who read an author’s footnotes
before they read his text. My debt to previous bibliographers is hinted at
in the bibliographic citations which I have provided.
My debt to the footnotes of countless Locke scholars is too vast even to be hinted at,
but is sincerely felt nonetheless.
Bibliographers inhabit libraries. Again my debt to countless (often nameless) librarians
is too vast to be adequately acknowledged. However, no author should fail to pay tribute
to those gallant folk who are striving to preserve the intellectual heritage of the past
and to make it available to present and future scholars.
This project was begun in 1975 at Bowling Green State University
and has continued since 1978 at the Pennsylvania State University.
I should like to thank Dr. Richard Lineback of the Philosophy Documentation Center at Bowling Green
for his encouragement of the project and for access to the incomparable collection of philosophy books
and journals used to compile The Philosopher’s index. A grant from the Pennsylvania State University in 1981 enabled me to visit libraries in England and Italy to verify entries for this project.
I have also received extensive data-processing support from the Pennsylvania State University Libraries,
and I would like to thank Dean of Libraries Stuart Forth and Assistant Deans Gordon Rawlins, Nancy Cline,
and Nancy Eaton for this assistance. Any errors that remain, including typing and formatting errors
in the final text, must alas be the responsibility of the author.
ABBREVIATIONS
Bibliographic citations
| A |
Axtell, J. L. “Checklist of printings 1693-1966.” // IN:
The educational writings of John Locke [Locke #562]. – p. 98-104. |
| B |
Biagini, H. E. “Aporte a las bibliografías lockeanas
de Hall y Woolhouse” / por Hugo E. Biagini. // IN:
Cuadernos de filosofía (Universidad de Buenos Aires). – 16 (1976):99-108;
and “Nuevo aporte a las bibliografías Lockeanas de Hall y Woolhouse” /
por Hugo E. Biagini. // IN: Ibid. – 18 (1978): 183-186. |
| C |
Christophersen, H. O. A bibliographical introduction to the study of John Locke /
by H.O. Christophersen. – Oslo : i kommisjon hos J. Dybwad, 1930. – 134 p. –
(Skrifter / Norske Videnskaps-Akademi i Oslo. 2, Historisk-filosofisk Klasse ; 1930, no. 8) |
| H&L |
Harrison, J. R. & Laslett, P. The library of John Locke /
by John Harrison and Peter Laslett. – Oxford : published for the Oxford Bibliographical Society
by the Oxford University Press, 1965. – viii, 292 p. –
(Oxford Bibliographical Society publications ; new series, 13). –
Also: 2nd ed. – Oxford : Clarendon Press, 1971. – xi, 313 p. |
| H&W |
Hall, R. & Woolhouse, R. “Forty years of work on John Locke (1929-1969) :
a bibliography” / by Roland Hall and Roger Woolhouse. // IN:
Philosophical quarterly. – 20 (1970):258-268, 394-396. |
| H&W 1983 |
Hall, R. & Woolhouse, R. 80 years of Locke scholarship : a bibliographical guide /
by Roland Hall and Roger Woolhouse. – Edinburgh : University Press, c1983. – x, 215 p. |
| Hd |
Horsefield, J. K. British monetary experiments 1650-1710 /
by J. Keith Horsefield. – Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 1960. – xix, 344 p.
|
| J |
Johnston, C. S. A bibliography of John Locke /
by Charlotte Stephanie Johnston. –
Thesis (Ph.D.)–Oxford University, 1956. – xxviii, 404 leaves. |
| L |
Laslett, P. “Check-list of printings, 1689-1960.” // IN:
Two treatises of government … [Locke #118]. – 2nd ed., 1967. – p. 121-129. |
| LNL |
Hall, R. [ed.] The Locke newsletter / edited by Roland Hall. –
[York], 1970-2000. –
Each annual issue includes a listing of “Recent publications” on Locke;
also includes other bibliographical listings on Locke. |
| LS |
Hall, R. [ed.] Locke studies : an annual journal of Locke research /
Roland Hall, editor. – [York], 2001- . –
Continuation of The Locke newsletter. |
| M |
Maiorca, B. “John Locke in Italia : un secolo di bibliografia (1875-1976)” /
Bruno Maiorca. // IN: Rivista di filosofia. – 67 (1976):349-377. |
| Wing |
Wing, D. Short-title catalogue of books printed in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales
and British America, and of English books printed in other countries, 1641-1700 /
compiled by Donald Wing. – New York : Index Society, 1945-51. – 3 vols. |
| Wing2 |
——. ——. – 2nd ed., revised and enlarged. –
New York : Index Committee of the Modern Language Association, 1972- |
| Y |
Yolton, J. S. John Locke, a descriptive bibliography / Jean S. Yolton. –
Bristol, England : Thoemmes Press, 1998. |
Sources for unverified citations
| BN Cat. |
Bibliotheque nationale (France).
Catalogue générale des livres imprimés de la Bibliothèque nationale. – Paris : Imprimerie nationale, 1897-1978. – 227 vols. |
| Evans |
Evans, C. American bibliography / by Charles Evans. –
Chicago : Evans, 1903-59. – 14 vols. |
| NUC |
Library of Congress. National union catalog. –
Washington, D.C. : The Library, 1953- . |
| RBP |
Répertoire bibliographique de la philosophie. –
Louvain : Institut superieur de philosophie, 1949- . |
| Shaw/Shoemaker |
Shaw, R. R. & Shoemaker, R. H. American bibliography :
a preliminary checklist for 1800-1819 / compiled by Ralph R. Shaw and Richard H. Shoemaker. –
New York : Scarecrow Press, 1958-66. – 22 vols. |
Reviews of early editions
| ActaErud. |
Acta eruditorum |
| Bibl.Anc.Mod. |
Bibliotheque ancienne et moderne |
| Bibl.Ch. |
Bibliotheque choisie |
| Bibl.Univ. |
Bibliotheque universelle et historique |
| HistOuvr.Sav. |
Histoire des ouvrages des savans |
| Mem.Hist.Sci. (Trevoux) |
Mémoires pour l’histoire des sciences et des beaux arts |
| Nouv.Rep.Let. |
Nouvelles de la république des lettres |
Reviews of later editions
| 17thCent.News |
Seventeenth-century news |
| 20thCent. |
Twentieth century |
| Am.Bk.Coll. |
American book collector |
| Am.Pol.Sci.Rev. |
American political science review |
| Arch.Ges.Ph. |
Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie |
| Arch.Int.Med. |
Archives of internal medicine |
| Arch.Stud.Neu.Spr. |
Archiv für das Studium der neueren Sprachen und Literaturen |
| Bibl.N.&Q. |
Bibliographical notes and queries |
| Br.Med.J. |
British medical journal |
| Bull.Hist.Med. |
Bulletin of the history of medicine |
| Camb.Hist.J. |
Cambridge historical journal |
| Chr.Exam. |
Christian examiner |
| Congr.Mag. |
Congregational magazine |
| Dt.Zt.Phil. |
Deutsche Zeitschrift für Philosophie |
| Eclectic Rev. |
Eclectic review |
| Edin.Rev. |
Edinburgh review |
| Eng.Hist.Rev. |
English historical review |
| Et.Phil. |
Études philosophiques |
| Fr.St. |
French studies |
| Gior.Crit.Fil.Ital. |
Giornale critico della filosofia italiana |
| Hist. |
History |
| Hist.Jb. |
Historisches Jahrbuch |
| Hist.Today |
History today |
| Intercoll.Rev. |
Intercollegiate review |
| J.Hist.Ph. |
Journal of the history of philosophy |
| J.Ph. |
Journal of philosophy |
| Lond.Mag. |
London magazine |
| Med.Hist. |
Medical history |
| Mod.Lang.Rev. |
Modern language review |
| Mod.Schoolman |
Modern schoolman |
| N.&Q. |
Notes and queries |
| N.Am.Rev. |
North American review |
| NewSchol. |
New scholasticism |
| NewStat. |
New statesman |
| P.B.S.A. |
Papers of the Bibliographic Society of America |
| Phil. |
Philosophy |
| Phil.Phen.Res. |
Philosophy and phenomenological research |
| Phil.Q. |
Philosophical quarterly |
| Phil.Rev. |
Philosophical review |
| Phil.Rund. |
Philosophische Rundschau |
| Pol.Sci.Q. |
Political science quarterly |
| Pol.St. |
Political studies |
| Pol.Viert. |
Politische Vierteljahresschrift |
| Ren.Q. |
Renaissance quarterly |
| Rev.Eng.St. |
Review of English studies |
| Rev.Hist.Econ.Soc. |
Revista de historia econômica e social |
| Rev.Hist.Lit.Fr. |
Revue d’histoire littéraire de la France |
| Rev.Litt.Comp. |
Revue de littérature comparée |
| Rev.Ph.Louv. |
Revue philosophique de Louvain |
| Ric.Fil. |
Ricerche filosofiche |
| Riv.Crit.Stor.Fil. |
Rivista critica della storia della filosofia |
| Riv.Fil. |
Rivista di filosofia |
| Riv.Fil.Neosc. |
Rivista di filosofia neo-scolastica |
| Sat.Rev. |
Saturday review (London) |
| Sci.Am. |
Scientific American |
| T.E.S. |
Times educational supplement |
| T.L.S. |
Times literary supplement |
| Westm.Rev. |
Westminster review |
| Wm.&MaryQ. |
William and Mary quarterly |
|
