De Iure Belli ac Pacis Libri Tres In Quibus Ius Naturae et Gentium.. by: Grotius Hugo/PC. Molhuysen (editor )
Hardcover. Clark NJ, The Lawbook Exchange,, 2005, Hardcover, blue cloth stamped in green with gilt lettering, 752 pages. No dust jacket. Reprint of the standard critical Latin edition of Grotius's magnum opus of 1625, which established the framework of modern international law. Grotius describes the situations in which war is a valid tool of law enforcement and outlines the principles of armed combat. Though based on Christian natural law, Grotius advanced the novel argument that his system would still be valid if it lacked a divine basis. In this regard he pointed to the future by moving international law in a secular direction. A work of painstaking philological research, this edition is based on the final version edited by the author, which issued posthumously in 1646. Name on front fly leaf, otherwise clean.