 In addition to his writings on ethics, theology, and politics, Price corresponded at length with Joseph Priestley on the topic of free will; their correspondence was published in 1778. He was also a pioneer in probability theory, and edited Thomas Bayes’ major work An Essay Towards Solving a Problem in the Doctrine of Chances (1763). As a consequence of his important introduction to Bayes’ essay he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1765. His statistical work led to an interest in demography and actuarial calculations. His foundational book, Observations on Reversionary Payments (1771) was in use for about a century, as was his life table compiled by data he drew from a study of Northampton. His Essay on the Population of England (2nd ed. 1780) influenced Thomas Malthus. His concern about the failure of successive governments to tackle the mounting national debt led to his publication, in the same year, of his Appeal to the Public on the Subject of the National Debt (1771), which may have influenced William Pitt the Younger to re-establish the sinking fund for the extinction of the national debt.