Britain’s Destiny: Growth or Decay – 1905 1st Edition C. B. Phipson
 
Overview
 
A 1905 first edition of Britain’s Destiny: Growth or Decay? by Cecil Balfour Phipson, edited by Mark B. F. Major. Published by Cassell & Company, London. This rare political and economic treatise includes multiple analytical tables and reflects Edwardian-era perspectives on British growth and national destiny.
 
Bibliographic & Historical Context
 
Author: Cecil Balfour Phipson, influential in British politics and public administration in the late 19th/early 20th century.
Editor: Mark B. F. Major, known for works on economic and imperial policy.
Publisher: Cassell & Company, London, 1905 (MCMV), first edition.
Pages: 204, with tables throughout.
Size: 22.5 × 15 × 1.9 cm; weight: ~491 g.
 
Exterior Condition
 
Original red grained cloth boards and spine with gilt lettering on front and spine.
Boards intact, minor wear: corner bumping, slight edge wear, small marks, slight spine lean.
Clean and robust for nearly 120 years; typical light aging.
 
Interior Condition
 
Black pastedowns and endpapers.
Pages bright for their age, predominantly uncreased; very occasional small mark or fold.
No rips on the pages
Light marks on the pastedowns and endpapers
No pen or pencil writing; all 204 pages present.
Partial minimal gutter crack between pages 80–81 (toward the bottom); does not affect page security; all pages secure.
 
Strengths & Points to Note
 
Very rare first edition.
Clean, complete, and well-preserved.
Contains tables suggesting serious analytical or policy content.
Suitable for collectors of Edwardian-era political or economic literature.