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Secondary sourceBook1908

Thomas Hobbes

A. E. Taylor · 1908

An early twentieth-century biography and study of Hobbes's philosophy by A. E. Taylor, part of a popular philosophy primer series.

A later scholarly biography examining Hobbes's life and philosophical contributions.

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Thomas HobbesPDF · 144 pages
A. E. Taylor, Thomas Hobbes, 1908.

About this source

What it is

This short book, written by the philosopher A. E. Taylor and published in 1908, is a biography and study of Thomas Hobbes and his ideas. It was part of a series of inexpensive primers meant to introduce the general public to major philosophers.

Why it matters

Written over two centuries after Hobbes's death, this book is a later scholarly interpretation rather than a firsthand account. It shows how Hobbes's reputation and ideas continued to be studied and explained to new generations of readers long after his lifetime.

Look closer

  • Why might a publisher in 1908 think the public needed a cheap, accessible guide to Hobbes's philosophy?
  • How might a biography written in 1908 differ from one written during Hobbes's own lifetime?
  • What questions would you ask to check whether this book's interpretation of Hobbes is accurate?

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

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Engraved title page of Hobbes's Leviathan: a giant crowned figure made of many tiny people holds a sword and crozier over a landscape of hills and a city. Below, a central banner bears the title and author's name, flanked by vignettes of castle, church, crown, mitre, cannon, weapons, battle, and a council.Book

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Thomas Hobbes · 1651

Engraved frontispiece of the 1642 Paris edition of Hobbes's De Cive. Top panel shows a crowded scene of figures in clouds and a fiery landscape with a winged angel and a group of people. Bottom panel has a central banner titled Elementorum Philosophiae Sectio Tertia De Cive with Latin text, flanked by a crowned female figure holding scales labeled Imperium and a figure with a bow and spear labeled Libertas, with a landscape and the word Religio across the middle.Book

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De Cive

Thomas Hobbes · 1642

Line engraving portrait of Thomas Hobbes, a man with long wavy hair, a large white collar, and dark robes, shown in an oval frame inscribed with his name in Latin. Below is a Latin inscription and the printer's line 'London, Printed for Will. Crooke'.Painting

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Portrait of Thomas Hobbes, Line Engraving

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The Elements of Law

Thomas Hobbes · 1640

Engraved title page reading 'The Workes of Homer Engl: by T: Hobbes', with a bust of Homer above, two armoured warriors with spears flanking the title, and an oval portrait of Hobbes below. Imprint reads London, printed for W. Crooke, 1677.Artifact

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Title Page of The Workes of Homer, Translated by Thomas Hobbes

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