First edition, first impression [2], 130pp. Cream publisher's cloth-covered boards, gilt-stamped lettering on the spine. 8vo. Cloth a little rounded at spine tips and corners. Upper text block edge speckled with dust spots. Internally neat, clean, fresh and tight. In its original dust wrapper, not price clipped, gently bumped on extreme edges, a little sunned over spine, with a couple of small & mild marks.
Sir Keith Joseph (1918-1994) - a British conservative Member of Parliament who served in the Governments of four prime ministers was a key influence in the creation of Thatcherism and key adviser to Margaret Thatcher. In this, one of his most influential publications, he and his co-author argue that the fundamental error of egalitarianism is the support that class has anything to do with material wealth and that class distinctions are cultural rather than economic, and hence that equality cannot be achieved or even enhanced by breaking down income differences. Although heavily criticised at the time of publication as poorly written and weakly argued, it was of profound influence those favouring Christian democracy coupled with a free market economy and on the development of public policies under Thatcherism. An important work.
