Utopia

Social and political satire written in Latin by Thomas More, whose friend Erasmus arranged its publication in Louvain in 1516. In the first part of the book a traveller outlines the shortcomings of English society; in the second part he records his visit to a perfect society living on the imaginary island of Utopia (literally, ‘Nowhere’), which he visited in the recently discovered New World.

Immediately popular, it was frequently issued in Latin during the 16th century, and translated into German (1524), Italian (1548), French (1550), English (1551), and Dutch (1553). It also inspired later Renaissance imitations, such as Campanella'sCittà del sole, and Francis Bacon'sThe New Atlantis, and has given its name to the political philosophy that insists upon the creation of a perfect society.

The book's framework is the narrative of Raphael Hythloday, a fictitious traveller whom More purports to have met in Antwerp (part of Utopia was drafted while More was on an embassy in Flanders in 1515).

The Utopians are ruled by a monarch elected for life, hold all property in common, extend religious toleration to all, operate a system of universal education for men and women, never make war except in self‐defence, limit working hours to six a day, and promote cultural activities in the citizens' leisure time. Wrong‐doers are enslaved until they amend. Public sanitation, hygiene, and housing are all much in advance of those in 16th‐century England.