Description
Book SynopsisPublished anonymously in 1723, "The Fable of the Bees" by Bernard Mandeville came to be regarded as the epitome of immorality. It is a naturalistic account of the mechanism of human desire. This abridged edition also includes "The Fable" and background readings from two sources.
Trade ReviewHundert is especially good at demonstrating how vital Mandeville's ideas are as a major foundation for more famous Enlightenment thinkers such as Rousseau, Diderot, Voltaire and others. . . . The additions of Nicole and Bayle will be useful in courses on 18th century ethics and morals, and in general surveys of Enlightenment thought. This is probably the best one-volume edition of the main works of Mandeville now available. --Irwin Primer, Rutgers University
An excellent edition of a much needed text. E. J. Hundert's addition of clear biographies, a coherent introduction, an appendix, and suggested readings adds to the book's evident value in graduate and undergraduate teaching. Hundert has done an admirable job of contextualizing Mandeville's Fable in the philosophical debates of human morality and sociability that were crucial to the development of liberalism. There can be no better and affordable introduction to the sources for students than Hundert's new edition of this classic. --Fabio Lopez-Lazari, Arizona State University
