Includes bibliographical references (pages xlvii-xlix).

"Radical in its day - and long overdue in English - this rare French classic traces the journey of fictional British Lord Carisdall to the exotic island nation of Icaria. To his delight, Carisdall discovers an ideal utopian democracy prospering amid peace and harmony. Devoid of competition or property, Icaria triumphs over the social evils of nineteenth-century capitalism." "Carisdall's amazement is constant. Foreign affairs are conducted by the community. Money and domestic commerce do not exist. Everyone gives to and draws from the common pot in equal measure. No pastoral idyll, the narrative describes a modern machine-age economy with social policies - free education, equality for the sexes, strict family/moral ties - that reflect enlightenment. Crime here is a myth; arts and culture are treasured commodities."--Jacket.

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