An Essay on Crimes and Punishments: Translated from the Italian; With a Commentary Attributed to Mons. De Voltaire Translated from the French (1775)

The first systematic study of the principles of crime and punishment. Originally published: London: Printed for E. Newberry 1775. viii [iv] 179 lxxix pp. Infused with the spirit of the Enlightenment its advocacy of crime prevention and the abolition of torture and capital punishment marked a significant advance in criminological thought which had changed little since the Middle Ages. It had a profound influence on the development of criminal law in Europe and the United States especially among the founding fathers. Originally published anonymously in 1764 this is a reprint of the fourth edition which contains an additional text attributed to Voltaire.