Book Description

A collection of late 17th-century British Utopian texts written from the period 1660 until the French Revolution, including some rare pieces never before published. Themes of these works include alchemy and science, imaginary voyages, descriptions of model societies, and plans for working communities that proposed to solve the problem of poverty. An introduction looks at the ways in which texts from this period reshaped the genre, and examines the influence of the religious ferment of the Puritan revolution, the extension of scientific interests, proposals for social and constitutional reform, and the growth of exploration. Includes notes on texts and authors. Claeys teaches history at Royal Holloway College, University of London. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR