The work of Jean-Jacques Rousseau is presented in the series Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought in two volumes,together forming the most comprehensive collection of Rouseau s political writings in English.This second volume contains the major later writings,The Social Contract together with portions of the early draft of the Contract knoun as the Geneva Mamuscript Which Rousseau omitted in the final,published version of the work the Diswurse on Political Economy and the Considerations on the Govemment of Poland,as well as an important fragment On War and several Letters in which he speaks more fully about central features of his thought.

Rousseau,s in fluence was wide reaching,and has continued to grow since his death in 1778:the American and the Furench Revolutions were profoundly affected by his thought,as were Romanticism and Idealism.

This volume,like its predecessor(The Discourses and other early political writings)contains extensive editorial material that should prove useful to both students and specialists of these seminal works:a comprehensive introduction,a chronology,a guide to further reading,a discussion of Rousseau s vocabulary,detailed editorial notes and an index.The translations are literal and consistent throughout.