<Tr> <Th> Publisher </Th> <Td> J. Johnson, London </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Publication date </Th> <Td> 1798 </Td> </Tr> <P> The book An Essay on the Principle of Population was first published anonymously in 1798, but the author was soon identified as Thomas Robert Malthus . The book predicted a grim future, as population would increase geometrically, doubling every 25 years, but food production would only grow arithmetically, which would result in famine and starvation, unless births were controlled . </P> <P> While it was not the first book on population, it was revised for over 28 years and has been acknowledged as the most influential work of its era . Malthus's book fuelled debate about the size of the population in the Kingdom of Great Britain and contributed to the passing of the Census Act 1800 . This Act enabled the holding of a national census in England, Wales and Scotland, starting in 1801 and continuing every ten years to the present . The book's 6th edition (1826) was independently cited as a key influence by both Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace in developing the theory of natural selection . </P>

Who wrote an essay on the principle of population