Thomas Hobbes: Behemoth (Clarendon Edition Of The Works Of Thomas Hobbes)

fulfils the promise of the Clarendon series―under Noel Malcolm's leadership―to give readers the scholarly editions which the texts deserve. (Deborah Baumgold, English Historical Review)

Paul Seaward has produced a major piece of scholarship ... to those who have been captivated by this multi-faceted book for a long time, it comes as a blessing. (Luc Borot, Hobbes Studies)

Behemoth is Thomas Hobbes's narrative of the English Civil Wars from the beginning of the Scottish revolution in 1637 to the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660, and is his only composition to address directly the history of the events which formed the context of his writings in Leviathan and elsewhere on sovereignty and the government of the Church. Although presented as an account of past events, it conceals a vigorous attack on the values of the religious and political establishment of Restoration England. This is the first fully scholarly edition of the work, and the first new edition of the text since 1889. Based on Hobbes's own presentation manuscript, it includes for the first time an accurate transcription of the passages which Hobbes had deleted in the text, and notes made by early readers.