Der isolirte Staat in Beziehung auf Landwirtschaft und Nationalökonomie,

Hamburg: Friedrich Perthes, , 1826. First edition of this classic, which Roscher considers to be one of the most important works written in Germany in the field of exact economics. A neglected genius according to Mark Blaug, Von Thünen's magnum opus, Der isolirte Staat is today recognized as a fundamental and pioneering economic study concerning the location of agriculture. "He was the first to develop an exact definition of marginal productivity in the modern sense (although he did not use the term) and to apply the principle generally in the theory of production and distribution. He was a founder of mathematical economics and of econometrics, combining systematic empirical research with a genius for abstract reasoning and generalization... Von Thünen's book won him considerable recognition during his lifetime. According to Schumacher (1868), Rodbertus credited von Thünen with bringing to economics the rare combination of a most exact method and a human heart, and the British Parliament used von Thünen's calculations of the grain production of the European continent in its deliberations on the corn laws... Alfred Marshall acknowledged a major debt to von Thünen" (IESS). "If we judge [Thünen and Ricardo] exclusively by the amount of ability of the purely theoretical kind that went into their work, then, I think, Thünen should be placed above Ricardo or indeed above any economist of the period, with the possible exception of Cournot" (Schumpeter p. 465). For a detailed account of the author see Blaug, Great Economists before Keynes, pp. 246-249. Octavo (198 x 122 mm). 4 colour-printed figures on 2 folding plates, tables in the text; complete with the errata leaf. Contemporary German marbled boards, contrasting paper spine label lettered gilt, red edges. Housed in a black cloth flat-back box by the Chelsea Bindery. Old ownership inscriptions to front free endpaper. Loss of marbled paper to spine and extremities, corners worn. One leaf torn across and skilfully repaired, without loss of text, plates with a little light spotting, the odd mark. A very good copy. Humpert 1635; Kress C.1802; Menger, column 99; Roscher, p. 879. For a detailed account of the author see Blaug, Great Economists before Keynes, pp. 246-249