The Tocqueville reader. A life in letters and politics

Alexis de Tocqueville is an ancestor of modern social science and one of the most influential political thinkers of the 19th century, and yet no comprehensive collection of his written work has ever been produced until now.Born to an aristocratic family, he was consumed by the notion of democracy and travelled widely throughout the world, mainly America, to understand it. He is the celebrated writer of "Democracy in America" and "The Old Regime and the Revolution", as well as important essays on such subjects as poverty, colonialism, and socialism. "The Tocqueville Reader" includes not only his major writing but also travel letters, conversations with ministers and politicians, and diary entries not originally intended for the public. The book includes 29 pieces never before translated into English, and a wide-ranging editorial introduction that gives an account of Tocqueville´s life as a politician and inspirations as a writer.
Contents: Part I: The Discovery of Democracy in America. Part II: Great Britain, France, and the United States. Part III: The Years in Politics. Part IV: The Return to The Old Regime and the Revolution.