Skip to main content

Primary sourceBook1759

De l'esprit des loix (volume III), Amsterdam and Leipzig, 1759

Montesquieu · 1759

A 1759 printed copy of Montesquieu's famous book 'The Spirit of the Laws', once part of a Swedish private library.

This is a printed copy of Montesquieu's own major work, written by him and published after his death.

Ask Baron de Montesquieu about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
De l'esprit des loix (volume III), Amsterdam and Leipzig, 1759
Montesquieu, De l'esprit des loix, vol. III, Amsterdam and Leipzig, 1759. Skansen, Sweden.

About this source

What it is

This is a printed copy of Montesquieu's book De l'esprit des loix (The Spirit of the Laws), published in Amsterdam and Leipzig in 1759, in a paper binding. It is volume three of a new edition and is now held at Skansen in Sweden. It had earlier belonged to a private library in Bergshammar before being given to the museum.

Why it matters

Montesquieu wrote The Spirit of the Laws as a major work of political philosophy, examining different systems of government and law. Copies like this one show how his ideas travelled across Europe through print, reaching private libraries far from France, such as this one in Sweden.

Look closer

  • What does the physical condition of this book — its binding, label, and uncut pages — tell you about how it was used or stored?
  • Why might a book written in French be printed and sold outside France?
  • What journey might this particular copy have taken before ending up in a museum?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Baron de Montesquieu on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Baron de Montesquieu sources

Meet the AI Baron de Montesquieu →
Title page of the first volume of De l'Esprit des loix, printed in Geneva by Barrillot & Fils. Large title in capitals, a decorative emblem with a column and the motto 'EX RECTO DECUS', and handwritten marginal notes in brown ink at top.Book

Primary source

The Spirit of the Laws

Montesquieu · 1748

Title page of a book reading 'LETTRES PERSANES, TOME I', with a central decorative floral ornament, and the imprint 'A COLOGNE, Chez Pierre Marteau, Imprimeur-Libraire, près le Collège des Jésuites' and date 'M. DCC. LIV.'Book

Primary source

Persian Letters

Montesquieu · 1721

Title page of a French book: 'Montesquieu. Considérations sur les causes de la grandeur des Romains et de leur décadence', with an introduction and notes by L. Petit de Julleville, huitième édition, published in Paris by Librairie Ch. Delagrave.Book

Primary source

Considerations on the Causes of the Greatness of the Romans and their Decline

Montesquieu · 1734

Title page of the first volume of De l'Esprit des loix, printed in Geneva by Barillot & Fils. Large capitals read DE L'ESPRIT DES LOIX, followed by a subtitle in smaller type, a rule, and TOME PREMIER at the bottom.Document

Primary source

De l'Esprit des loix, Volume 1, Title Page

Montesquieu · 1748-1750

Painted profile portrait of an older man with a large aquiline nose, receding grey hair pulled back, and a golden-brown drape over his shoulders, set against a grey-green background. This is a painting, not a print.Painting

Secondary source

Charles Montesquieu

After Jacques-Antoine Dassier · after 1753

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Baron de Montesquieu now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions