The Spirit of the Laws

By: Charles de Secondat Baron de Montesquieu

Narrated by: Martyn Swain

From the moment of its publication in 1748, The Spirit of the Laws proved to be a controversial work provoking widespread interest.

Within three years it had been translated into various European languages - and was swiftly added to the List of Prohibited Books by the Roman Catholic Church. It is a remarkable book, a potpourri of observations and comments ranging far and wide over the social activities of mankind, and it exerted a great influence on political leaders in the following decades.

For over 20 years, Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755), a French landowner and polymath of the Age of Enlightenment, compiled his work, casting an interested and unfettered eye over classical Greece and Rome, over his own times, and over the historical bases of customs across the world, from Europe to the Middle East as far as China and the Far East.

His purpose was to look at the governments of countries and to consider how and why they were governed, and the different results that ensued within different systems. He questioned how these democratic, despotic or monarchical structures and institutions affected the lives of the people, comparing the laws that protect and the laws that constrain.

He evaluated the morals and traditions that prevailed and the individual freedoms that differing societies allowed while analysing how power in government was divided between the legislative, the executive and the judiciary. Having read widely and voraciously, he brought under his purview a mass of social, historical, theoretical and anthropological detail which, even today, is entertaining, fascinating and absorbing.

He considered not just the way tradition, religion and laws fashioned society but even the effects of climate and geography. De Montesquieu's topics included Alexander the Great, the condition of women, corruption, slavery, civil law in France, English politics, Feudal laws among the Franks, taxes, the Lombards, the Huns, Charlemagne, Plutarch, despotic rule in Japan, marriage habits, attitudes to family and family law in different countries, with evidence ranging from Lacedaemonian magistrates to the West Indies.

The Spirit of the Laws is a remarkably colourful document that shaped the views of many lawmakers in the following decades - among them the founding fathers of the United States - with its essentially liberal and humane outlook on life and mankind. Not so well known in the 21st century, it is a true gem awaiting rediscovery and is read with great clarity by Martyn Swain.

Public Domain (P)2019 Ukemi Productions Ltd

Absolutely Brilliant! Snarky, Empathetic, Funny&Deeply Impactful!

I teach Montesquieu (among other things) on my TikTok channel. I first learned Montesquieu in college, and our professor had us first read The Persian Letters, BEFORE reading Spirit of the Laws, and my god, what a difference that made!

What I might have otherwise thought of as a dry treatise on economics and politics came alive with humor, intelligence, and humanity.

Montesquieu was endlessly intelligent and empathetic, and good lord was he snarky. Remember while reading this or listening to the audio version here on Audible not to forget to read the snark between (and sometimes directly in) the lines.

Like my college professor had us do, if you’re not hearing the level of snark and sarcasm you need in your modern day life, consider first reading Persian Letters and then revisiting Spirit of Laws. Thank me later.

This narrator does a phenomenal job too! Perfect tone and cadence, and great editing and production by the production and post production team!

Truly Excellent Audiobook!

As with all of Ukemi's audio productions, this edition of "The Spirit of the Laws" is superbly crafted! Martyn Swain's performance in reading the text is excellent; he maintained a proper cadence throughout the reading of this lengthy treatise. This, and the meticulous attention given to the technical aspect of the production, made this a very pleasant listening experience!

A Significant Piece of Political Philosophy

I came into this audio book already familiar with the work. This translation is a considerably more modern one compared to my copy from 1901. But, that certainly made it more digestible as it is a very dense book with lots to unpack. There are moments where you can get a legitimate look into the politicl mindset that led to the writing of the US Constitution.

The narration is solid, though the amount of accent given to some of the names almost feels exaggerated.