Two Treatises of Government is an influential work of political philosophy by John Locke.
Bibliographic notesTwo Treatises of Government was first published anonymously in 1689, with a title page dated 1690. Locke corrected and revised later editions, and the work has also been republished numerous times, and in many languages, after his death. This page includes editions with both treatises. Editions that only include the better-known second Treatise can be found on our page for An Essay Concerning the True Original Extent and End of Civil Government. Editions that include the treatises alongside other works of Locke can be found on our general John Locke author page.
See also-
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Two Treatises of Government (New York: Hafner Press; London: Collier Macmillan, c1947), by John Locke, ed. by Thomas I. Cook, contrib. by Robert Filmer (page images at HathiTrust). Includes a copy of the work by Filmer that Locke's first Treatise argued against, and an extensive introduction and notes by the editor. - Two Treatises on Civil Government by John Locke, Preceded by Sir Robert Filmer's "Patriarcha" (London: G. Routledge and Sons; New York: E. P. Dutton and Co., 1884), by John Locke, contrib. by Robert Filmer and Henry Morley (page images at HathiTrust). Includes a copy of the Filmer work, and a short historical introduction by Morley.
These were either published in Locke's lifetime, or in the decades following, up to the edition said to introduce "his last Corrections and Improvements" posthumously. Listed in order of first publication.
- Two Treatises of Government: In the Former, the False Principles, and Foundation of Sir Robert Filmer, and His Followers, Are Detected and Overthrown; The Latter is an Essay Concerning the True Original, Extent, and the End of Civil Government (London: Printed for A. Churchill, 1690), by John LockeThe first edition.
- Two Treatises of Government: In the Former, the False Principles and Foundation of Sir Robert Filmer and His Followers are Detected and Overthrown; The Latter is an Essay Concerning the True Original, Extent and End of Civil Government (fifth edition; London: Printed for A. Bettesworth et al., 1728), by John Locke (page images at HathiTrust)
- Two Treatises of Government (London: Reprinted the sixth time by A. Millar et al., 1764), by John LockeThis is the earliest edition we have found that says it includes "his last Corrections and Improvements".
- Two Treatises of Government, by John Locke (PDF at McMaster)
- Two Treatises of Government (London, Reprinted the seventh time by J. Whiston et al., 1772), by John Locke (multiple formats at archive.org)
- Two Treatises on Government (new edition corrected; London: Printed for Whitmore and Fenn, 1821), by John Locke (multiple formats at archive.org)
- Two Treatises on Government (London: Printed for R. Butler et al., 1821), by John Locke (page images at HathiTrust)
- Look for editions of this book at your library, or elsewhere.