Utopia (illustrated)

One of the most influential books in the Western philosophical and literary tradition,
Sir Thomas More's Utopia appeared in 1516. The formidable Henry VIII had recently
assumed the throne in England, and conflicting ideas about religion were fuelling
the Reformation throughout Europe. A scathing satire, Utopia was hugely successful
and vaulted More to the forefront of the growing humanist movement. The story of
Utopia is told by a mysterious sailor named Raphael Hythloday, who travels to
the New World with the Italian explorer Vespucci and remains at a fort built
at the farthest point reached. From there, he discovers a strange island
kingdom named Utopia, a pagan and communist city-state in which language,
social customs, dress, architecture, and education are identical throughout
the country's fifty-four cities. The Utopians have eliminated wealth, the
nobility, and currency. Labour and goods are distributed equally and property
is held in common. And there are no monasteries, alehouses, or academies to
tempt a person to withdraw from society. Given More's satiric leanings and
eventual execution, is Utopia simply an attack on Europe's wickedness?
Or is it a philosophical tract extolling the ideal way to live? Ultimately,
Utopia navigates a course between the desire to create perfection and the
pragmatic understanding that perfection, given the fallibility of mankind,
is impossible.

Includes unique illustrations.