250 years ago, the Swedish scholar Peter Forsskål published a pamphlet demanding human rights. The publication, called ”Thoughts on Civil Liberty”, was immediately banned and those who were found to have a copy in their home had to pay a fine.

Nevertheless, the text did circulate and contributed to the freedom of the printing press which was established some years later in Sweden. Forsskål’s pamphlet is now published for the very first time in an English translation, together with the original version of the Swedish text, without the censor’s changes.

The English version has been rendered by a group of experts: David Goldberg, Gunilla Jonsson,Helena Jäderblom, Gunnar Persson and Thomas von Vegesack, under the leadership of David Goldberg. David Shaw polished the final version of the translation. The work is introduced and commented upon by David Goldberg, Gunilla Jonsson and Thomas von Vegesack.