THE AUTHOR says that in France Proudhon is, generally, not known.
The same applies to England. Proudhon has been called "the great
moralist of the working-classes". Our author would qualify him more
simply as a great moralist.

One of his epigrams--familiar perhaps to examination candidates
--has passed into the English language, Propriété, c'est le vol, "Pro-
perty is theft". Since that word has apparently become naturalized.
I have preferred to retain it throughout this work instead of ownership
or a right to property.

A list of French titles, with English equivalents, will be found at the
beginning of the book. Here again Proudhon seems to be so little
known over here that I have been unable to find any English trans-
lations of his works and have had therefore to supply the English
titles. La Philosophie de la Misère, for instance, has been rendered
as "The Philosophy of Distress" as this seems better suited to Marx's
punning rejoinder, La Misère de la Philosophie, "The Distress of
Philosophy". In this list of titles will be found the initial letters used
to indicate the various books in the footnotes to each page.

The first chapter--Biography--has been adapted and considerably
amplified in order to give a clearer historical setting to Proudhon's
times for the benefit of the English reader. The historical details of
the Revolution in February, 1848, are not the author's.

I am very grateful to the Rev. F. C. Copleston, S. J., who kindly read
the proofs of this book for me.

R. E. S.

St. Wilfrid's,
Ventnor, I. of W.
St. Wilfrid's Day,

Oct. 12th, 1947.

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