Collected Works of John Stuart Mill, Vol I: Autobiography and Literary Essays

Collected Works of John Stuart Mill #1

by John Stuart Mill, John M. Robson (Editor)

Volume 1 features Mill's Autobiography as well as related essays which together paint a balanced picture of his early life, including his rigorous 'home schooling' at the hands of his father, James Mill, and the emotional crisis of his early adulthood. Such insights are a wonderful primer for later substantive volumes of Mill's work and shed light on the character of nineteenth-century Britain's foremost liberal intellectual. This volume was assembled under the direction of Professor John M Robson of the University of Toronto and includes such rare material as Mill's childhood writings, examples of his early articles published in such journals as "The Westminster Review" and the "London Review", and a youthful critique of his father's philosophical contributions.

766 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2006

About the author

John Stuart Mill, English philosopher, political economist, civil servant and Member of Parliament, was an influential liberal thinker of the 19th century. He was an exponent of utilitarianism, an ethical theory developed by Jeremy Bentham, although his conception of it was very different from Bentham's.

Reviews

[Gerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A giant mind who's thoughts reverberate through the centuries

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting discussion of Mill's life, his political opinions, and his philosophical positions. Very useful to understand Mill's other works. It is a shame that the book is not longer, and that Mill does not do more to discuss his relationship with other thinkers and statesmen of the era.

I would recommend purchasing a different edition of this work. The reprint of the early draft of the autobiography is unnecessary, and the selection of essays is poor.