This 1992 volume presents a wide sampling of the political writings and polemical essays of James Mill (1773-1836).

James Mill (1773-1836) is today best known as Jeremy Bentham's chief disciple and John Stuart Mill's father. Yet Mill himself was a formidable and important Utilitarian thinker in his own right, who earned the respect of even those who disagreed with him. His range was enormous (historian, political philosopher, psychologist, educational theorist, and economist), repeatedly crossing the disciplinary boundaries we take for granted today. This volume presents a wide sampling of Mill's political writings and polemical essays. It begins with his classic work, the Essay on Government, it also includes pieces on the protection of rights, the importance of education, the free press, the secret ballot, and government's use of punishment against those who violate the rights of fellow citizens. The collection concludes with Macauley's famous critique of the Essay, and Mill's heretofore unnoticed reply in his Fragment on Mackintosh (1835). This is the first time that such a selection of Mill's political works has appeared as one volume.

The key writings of the author of the Declaration of Independence are presented here in a clear and accessible format. The texts are supported by a concise introduction, suggestions for further reading and short biographies.

Three of Mill's classic texts, On Liberty, The Subjection of Women and the posthumous Chapters on Socialism are brought together in this edition.

On Liberty has become celebrated as the most powerful defence of the freedom of the individual, and is now widely regarded as the most important theoretical foundation for Liberalism as a political creed. The Subjection of Women is a powerful indictment of the political, social, and economic position of women. This edition, first published in 1989, brings together these two classic texts, plus Mill's posthumous Chapters on Socialism, his somewhat neglected examination of the strengths and weaknesses of various forms of socialism. The editor's substantial introduction places these three works in the context both of Mill's life and of nineteenth-century intellectual and political history. There is also a chronology of Mill's life, a bibliographical guide, and a biographical appendix of names cited in the texts.