On Crime and Punishment

Author: (Italian) Beccaria
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-01-31
Features: Beccaria's On Crimes and Punishments was published in April 1764. The original text consists of 47 chapters and an "Introduction." Subsequently, in response to attacks from religious figures, the author added apologetic writings titled "To the Reader" (this version of the original is hereinafter referred to as the "47-chapter version"). In 1765, the French Enlightenment scholar Denis Diderot translated the book into French and reorganized the chapters, dividing the main text into 42 chapters. This version (hereinafter referred to as the "42-chapter version") was later approved and praised by Beccaria himself. The content of the "47-chapter version" and the "42-chapter version" is largely consistent. The main differences lie in the systematic arrangement and the order of arguments. The "42-chapter version" relatively centralizes discussions on the same topics that were originally scattered across different chapters, adjusts the order of arguments in certain chapters, and moves the discussion of some important topics (such as torture and the death penalty) earlier. According to my comparison, the "42-chapter version" has one more transitional sentence than the "47-chapter version," while the "47-chapter version" has seven more sentences and some minor differences in wording (the translator has noted all these variations in the Chinese translation of the "47-chapter version"). The Chinese translation of On Crimes and Punishments published 10 years ago by the China Encyclopedia Press was completed based on the "42-chapter version," and this version was republished by the China Legal Publishing House in 2002. Now, the China Press has decided to publish the Chinese version of the "47-chapter version" of On Crimes and Punishments, which is a highly meaningful academic endeavor. This will particularly help readers understand Beccaria's original conception and the original structure of the book when he wrote it.