Essays on Mankind and Political Arithmetic

Essays on Mankind and Political Arithmetic, written by Sir William Petty and first published in 1682, is a collection of essays that examines the relationship between population growth, urban development, and economic implications in 17th-century England. Petty, a pioneer in political arithmetic, utilizes innovative methods for estimating populations, including burial records and tax data, to analyze the growth of cities like London in the context of historical events such as the Great Plague and the Great Fire. This work is notable for its early exploration of demographic studies and its influence on economic thought.