John Locke is regarded as one of the fathers of British empirical philosophy, whose work and thought had such a great impact after his death that he is said to be one of the direct influencers behind the Enlightenment and the 'Age of Revolutions' that swept through Europe and America in the 18th century. He is directly credited by such radically progressive thinkers as Voltaire, Rousseau, Hume, and Kant.
One of the remarkable things about Locke, as a thinker and as a figure in history, is the sheer time at which he was working. Following on the direct British tradition of Francis Bacon, Locke was presenting ideas totally at odds with later Cartesian dualism, and ones which will fundamentally mark out the traditional territories of the physical sciences - all in the late sixteen hundreds!
For the collector however, it can be nigh impossible to find a true first of Locke's direct works, as they are either prohibitively expensive, or indeed suffer from their own age. We have to remember that John Locke was publishing near the beginning of the history of book printing, and his works were very limited, privately printed, and often compendiums of essays and letters from his many common-place books and journals. As such, it is often the later re-editions of the true firsts, or later, posthumous collections of the great thinker that have since become the most collectible of his works.
To date, some of the closest available works to collect by Locke date to around 1714 at the very earliest (Locke died in 1704) but he was regarded as such an influential figure already, that quick compendiums and re-issues of his major works commenced upon death. A first edition (albeit posthumous) re-issue of Two Treatises on Government, 1764, could value at $7-10,000. For the slightly more conservative, consider instead some of Locke's lesser known posthumous works, such as The Posthumous Works of Mr John Locke. Including: Of the Conduct of the Understanding, An Examination of P. Malbranche's Opinion (etc)… (1706, private printing) which can be found for as little as $1,000, or indeed; A Collection of Several Pieces of Mr. John Locke, never before printed, or not extant in his Works. Publish'd by the Author of the Life of the ever-memorable Mr. John Hales, andc... (1720, private printing) for approximately the same price (although lower estimates exist).
Locke, John. Essay on Human Understanding. Printed for Tho. Basse, London (1690). This issue has the Thomas Basset imprint; the other has the Elizabeth Holt imprint, and thess of Essay correctly printed; In Four Books.
Locke, John. Some Thoughts Concerning Education. A. and J. Churchill, London (1693). First Edition, First Issue, with with slightly skewed woodcut ornament on title, catchwordI my on A2v, and misprintPatronnge on A3v
Locke,John. An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. Awnsham and Churchil and Manship, London (1694). in Four Books; Written by JOHN LOCKE, Gent; The Second Edition, with large Additions; fine engraved portrait frontispiece by Brounower engraved by Vanderbanck.
Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. Awnsham and John Churchill and Samuel Manship, London (1695). In Four Books; Written by John Locke, Gent; The Third Edition; Frontis. port. of Locke by Sylvester Brounower and P. Vanderbanck John Locke .
Locke, John. Some Thoughts Concerning Education. Printed for A. and J. Churchill, London (1695).
Locke, John. Letter to the Right Reverend Edward Ld. Printed by H. Clark, for A. and J. Churchill and Edw. Castle, London (1697). Bishop of Worcester, Concerning Some Passages Relating to Mr. Locke's Essay of Humane Understanding: In a Late Discourse of His Lordships, in Vindication of the Trinity
Locke, John. Some Thoughts concerning Education. Printed for A. and J. Churchill, London (1699). The Fourth Edition Enlarged
Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Humane(sic) Understanding. Awnsam and John Churcill, London (1700). in Four Books; The Fourth Edition, with large Additions; engraved portait by P. Vanderbanck after Sylvester Brounower
Locke, John. Essai philosophique concernant l'entendement humain. Henri Schelte, Amsterdam (1700).
Locke, John. Essay concerning Human Understanding. Awnsham and Churchill, London (1706). engraved copperplate frontis portrait of Locke by Vanderbanck after Brounower
Locke, John. Oeuvres diverses. chez Fritsch et Bohm, A Rotterdam (1710). de Monsieur Jean Locke.
Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. A and J Churchill, London (1715). the seventh edition; with large additions; 2 volume set.
Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Printed for J. ChurchillEand Samuel ManshipE , London (1716). In Four Books. The Seventh Edition, with large Additions; 2 volumes.
Locke, John. A Collection of Several Pieces of Mr. John Locke. J Bettenham for R Francklin, London (1720). never before printed, or not extant in his Works; Publish'd by the Author of the Life of the ever-memorable Mr. John Hales
Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. A. Churchill and A. Manship, London (1721). In Four Books; 2 volumes.
Locke, John. Du Gouvernement Civil, ou l'on. Villard and Jaquier, Geneva (1724). Traite de L'Origine des Fondemens, de la Nature, du Pouvoir, et des Fins des Societez Politiques
Locke, John. Works of John Locke. Printed for Arthur Bettesworth, London (1727). Including: An Essay concerning Human Understanding, Some Thoughts concerning Education, Some Considerations of the Consequences of Lowering the Interest, and Raising the Value of Money, An Essay for the Amendment of the Silver Coin, etc; 3 Volumes; 2 engraved plates (incl. frontis. portrait by Vertue after Kneller and memorial plate)
Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Edmund Parker, London (1731). in four books; Written by John Locke; The tenty edition with large addition; 2 volumes.
Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Printed for A. Bettesworth and C. Hitch, London (1735). In Four Books; 2 volumes; Illustrated with a steel-engraved portrait frontis
Locke, John. Essai philosophique concernant lÕentendement humain. Pierre Mortier, Amsterdam (1735).
Locke, John. De l'education des enfans. Vytwerf, Amsterdam (1737).
Locke, John. The Works of John Locke. Edmund Parker, London (1740). 3 Volumes.
Locke, John. Libri IV de Intellectu Humano. Theophilum Georgi, Leipzig (1741).
Locke, John. Essai Philosophique Concernant L'Entendement Humain. Pierre Mortier, Amsterdam (1742).
Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. For S. Birt, D. Browne, London (1753). 2 volumes in 4 books; Engraved frontis portrait by T. Phinn after G. Kneller
Locke, John. Works of John Locke. Printed for D. Browne et al, London (1759). In Three Volumes; The Sixth Edition; To Which Is Added The Life of the Author; and a Collection of Several of His Pieces Published by Mr. Desmaizeaux.
Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. H. Woodfall, London (1768). four books in 2 volumes.
Locke, John. Two Treatises on Government. Whiston, Strahan, Rivington, London (1772).
Locke, John. The Conduct of the Understanding. Printed by J. Archdeacon for J. Nicholson, Cambridge (1781). To which is added, An Abstract of Mr. Locke's Essay on Human Understanding [by Lord Gilbert].
Locke, John. Works. J. Johnson, G.G. and J. Robinson, London (1801). 10 volumes.
Locke, John. Works. Bye and Law, Clerkenwell (1801).
Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Joseph Nancrede, Boston (1803). Extracted from the author's works; To which is prefixed The Life of the Author; First American from the twentieth London edition; 3 vols.
Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. London (1805). 2 vol
Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. William Fessenden, Brattleboro (1806). 3 volumes;To which are now added, I. an analysis of Mr. Locke's Doctrine of Ideas, on a large sheet. II. a defence of Mr. Locke's Opinion concerning personal Identity, with an Appendix. III. a treatise on the Conduct of Understanding. IV. some thoughts concerning reading and study for a gentleman. V. Elements of Natural Philosophy. VI. A new Method of a Common-Place-Book. Extracted from the author's works; To which is prefixed The Life of the Author.
Locke, John. The Reasonableness of Christianity. Sold by Johnson and Co, London (1810). As Delivered in the Scriptures.
Locke, John. The Reasonableness of Christianity. T. B. Wait, Boston (1811). As Delivered in the Scriptures; With a Preface By the American Editor.
Locke, John. Works of John Locke. W. Otridge and Son, Leigh and Sotheby, F. C. and J. Rivington and others., London (1812). In Ten Volumes : Volume I (1), Volume II (2), Volume III (3), Volume IV (4), Volume V (5), Volume VI (6), Volume VII (7), Volume VIII (8), Volume IX (9), Volume X (10)
Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Cummings and Hilliard and J. T. Buckingham, Boston (1813). With a Life of the Author in Two Volumes (Volumes One and Two)
Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Cummings and Hillard, Londons (1813). 2 volumes.
Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human. Brett Smith, Dublin (1816). 2 volumes
Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Thomas Tegg, London (1823). 3 volumes
Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Printed For C and J Rivington, Longman and Co, London (1824). The Twenty-Fourth Edition; 2 volumes.
Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Thomas Tegg, London (1825).
Locke, John. A treatise on the Conduct of the Understanding. Timothy Bedlington, Boston (1828). Bound together with: BACON, Francis; Essays, Moral, Economical, and Political; 2 volumes.
Locke, John. Discourses. Harvey and Darton, London (1828). Pierre Nicole; Translated From Nicole's Essays, With Important Variations From the Original French; With important variations from the original French. 1. On the Existence of a God; 2. On the Weakness of Man; and 3. On the Way of Preserving Peace
McCulloch, J R. The Principles Of Political Economy. Alex Murray and Son, London (1870). Locke, John; with a Sketch of the Rise and Progress of the Science: Essay on Interest and Value of Money by John Locke
McCulloch, J R. The Principles Of Political Economy. Ward, Lock and Co, London (1870). Locke, John; With A Sketch Of The Rise And Progress Of The Science + Essays On Interest And Value Of Money
Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Clarendon Press, Oxford (1894). Collated and Annotated, with Prolegomena, Biographical, Critical, and Historical by A.C. Fraser; 2 vols; edited by Alexander Campbell Fraser.
Locke, Alain. Harvard College Class of 1908. University Press, Cambridge (1928). Fifth Report 1928; John Hall Wheelock, Van Wyck Brooks, Samuel Eliot Morison, Paul Dudley White, and others). Guy Emerson, editor
Locke, Alain. Harvard College. Privately Printed for the Class by the Cosmos Press, Cambridge (1933). Class of 1908 Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Report June, 1933 - Sixth Report; It also includes autobiographical statements from author Van Wyck Brooks, African-American scholar and author Alain Locke, historian Samuel Eliot Morison, and world-renowned cardiologist, Paul Dudley White
Locke, Alain. Harvard. Privately Printed for the Class by the Plimpton Press, Norwood (1938). John Hall Wheelock, Van Wyck Brooks, Samuel Eliot Morison, Paul Dudley White, and others); Guy Emerson, editor; Class of 1908 Thirtieth Anniversary Report June, 1938 (Seventh Report)
Locke, Alain. Harvard. Produced for the Class by the Harvard University Printing Office, Cambridge (1948). John Hall Wheelock, Van Wyck Brooks, Samuel Eliot Morison, Paul Dudley White, and others). Guy Emerson, editor; Class of 1908 Fortieth Anniversary Report June, 1948 (Eighth Report)
Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Peter Smith Publisher Inc (1959).
Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Dover, Mineola, New York (1959). collated And annotated By Fraser, Alexander Campbell; Complete and Unabridged in Two Volumes
Locke, John. The Correspondence of John Locke. Published by Oxford University Press, London, New York (1989). edited by E. S. De Beer; Volume 1 - 8, [The Clarendon Edition of the Works of John Locke, in 8 volumes]
Locke, John. The Reasonableness of Christianity. Oxford University Press, USA (2000). Editor-John C. Higgins-Biddle; As Delivered in the Scriptures (Clarendon Edition of the Works of John Locke)
Locke, John. Two Treatises of Government and a Letter Concerning Toleration. Yale Univ Pr, Cumberland, Rhode Island (2003). BRITISH PHILOSOPHY HISTORY LIBERTY FREEDOM; Shapiro, Ian ; With essays by John Dunn, Ruth W. Grant, and Ian Shapiro