ABSTRACT
The description of one of John Stuart Mill's publications as a 'joint production' occurs for the first time at the beginning of 1846 with regard to a newspaper article and afterwards with increasing frequency. In Mill's hand list of his publications the Political Economy is described as 'a joint production with his wife'. The first mention of the Political Economy in the letters of Mrs. Taylor that have been preserved occurs towards the end of 1847 when the book was practically finished. The main discussion of socialism is contained in the chapter 'On Property' at the beginning of the Political Economy. In the first edition the difficulties of Socialism were stated so strongly, that the tone was on the whole that of opposition to it. The first instalment of the revised proofs which contains this crucial chapter must have gone to Mrs. Mill early in February and we can gather the nature of her comments from Mill's replies.
