 |
10. Abbott, Benjamin Vaughan.
The Travelling Law-School and Famous Trials (First Lessons in
Government and Law). Chicago: The Interstate Publishing Company,
[1884]. 112, 7-116 pp. (Famous Trials section has separate
pagination.) Frontispiece. Octavo (5" x 7"). Original cloth,
black-stamped title to front board, gilt title to spine. Some
shelfwear, small stains to spine and rear board, internally clean.
$95.
* Intended for “young citizens,” the first part of this book
explains the nature of American law by “traveling” to the places
where laws are enacted or applied, such as the U.S. Capitol or on
the road. The second section contains accounts of historic trials
that illustrate specific laws and procedures.  
11. Adams, Henry, Henry Cabot Lodge, Ernest Young and J. Laurence
Laughlin.
Essays in Anglo-Saxon Law. Boston: Little, Brown, and
Company, 1876. xii, 392 pp. Reprinted 2004 by The Lawbook Exchange,
Ltd. ISBN 1-58477-435-5. Cloth. $95.
Tabular Guide to Crime And Punishment in London
12. Addington, William.
An Abridgment of Penal Statutes, which Exhibits at One View, The
Offence; The Punishment or Penalty Annexed to That Offence; The Mode
of Recovering and Application of the Penalty; The Number of
Witnesses and Justices Necessary to Convict the Offender; With a
Reference to the Chapter and Section of the Enacting Statute.
London: Printed by William Strahan and M. Woodfall, 1775. viii, 558,
[38] pp. Oblong 12mo. (10-1/2" x 5-1/4"). Contemporary three-quarter
calf over limp marbled boards, raised bands and faded paper label to
spine. Rubbing with some wear to extremities, a few vertical creases
to boards, corners bumped, joints starting, hinges cracked but
secure. Offsetting and minor chipping to edges of endpapers,
interior otherwise fresh. $1,000.
*
First edition, and the only edition with an oblong format. This
useful reference went through nine editions, the final appearing
in 1812. Its detailed descriptions of rogues, vagabonds, thieves,
gambling, commercial fraud, illegitimacy, bootlegging, poaching,
forgery, sumptuary laws, actors, poverty, bawdy houses and other
colorful topics offers fascinating insights into English social
history during the Age of Johnson. The content is arranged as
a seven-column spreadsheet with columns labeled Offences, Penalties
and Punishments, Recov. By, Application, Witnesses, Justices and
Statutes. Addington was a London magistrate. According to the
preface, the Abridgment was based on his commonplace book.
OCLC locates 11 copies of this edition. Sweet & Maxwell, A
Legal Bibliography of the
British Commonwealth
1:358(2). See illustration below.
13. Alberti, Alberto.
Scuole Italiane e Giuristi Italiani Nello Sviluppo Storico del
Diretto Inglese: Contributo Alla Storia Della Penetrazione
del Diritto Romano in Inghilterra.
Bologna: Nicola Zanichelli, 1937. 218 pp. Softbound, untrimmed
edges. Some shelfwear, light browning and minor dampstaining to
edges. Small owner signature to head of front cover, underling and
check marks to a few passages, interior otherwise clean. $20.
* A title in the series Rivista di Storia del Diretto Italiano
dealing with the role of Italian scholars in the English reception
of Roman law.
14. Alexander, Roberta Sue.
A Place of Recourse: A History of the U.S. District Court for the
Southern District of Ohio, 1801-2003.
Athens: Ohio University Press, [2005]. xviii, 417 pp. Cloth in dust
jacket. New. $60.
* The first history of a federal district court in a midwestern
state, A Place of Recourse explains a district court’s
function and how its mission has evolved. The court has grown from
an obscure institution adjudicating minor debt and land disputes to
one that plays a central role in the political, economic, and social
lives of southern Ohioans.
Appealing First French Edition
of Azuni’s Treatise on Maritime Law
15. Azuni, Domenico Alberto [1749-1827].
Systeme Universel de
Principes du Droit Maritime de L’Europe.
Traduit de L’Italien, Avec des Additions du Meme Auteur, Par J.M.
Digeon. Paris: Debure, Plassan, Leroux, An VI [1797]. Two
volumes. Title page of Volume I preceded by copperplate portrait
frontispiece. Octavo (5" x 8"). Contemporary quarter sheep treated
to look like tree calf over marbled boards, lettering piece and gilt
ornaments to spines, speckled edges. Light rubbing with negligible
wear to extremities, internally fresh. A remarkably well-preserved
copy. $1,500.
*
First French edition, with additions by Azuni. This systematic
work on the maritime law of Europe an authority on prize laws
relating to the legality of the capture of goods and vessels at
sea as well as the Rhodian laws and the Consolato del Mare. D.A.
Azuni was an Italian jurist and a writer on mercantile law who
later became a French citizen and then president of the appeal
court at Genoa and judge of the Commercial Court at Cagliari.
First published in Italian in 1795-96, Azuni’s treatise “relates
rather to maritime international law, properly so called, than
to private maritime jurisprudence... It points out what is always
of the highest importance to the diligent inquirer after truth,
the sources of information upon maritime jurisprudence” (Marvin).
This edition was used for Johnson’s English translation (1806),
which was a standard work in the United States. OCLC locates 13
copies of this edition. Marvin, Legal Bibliography (1847)
82.
British Museum Catalogue
(Compact Edition) 2:9. See illustration below.
16. Bemis, Samuel Flagg.
John Quincy
Adams and the Foundations of American Foreign Policy.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1949. xix, 588, xv pp. Frontispiece.
Plates. Maps (one fold-out). Original cloth, light shelfwear.
Portions of dust jacket glued to front pastedown, free endpaper and
following endleaf, internally clean. Ex-library. Small bookplate to
front pastedown. $20.
17. Bernstein, Peter L.
Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk. New York:
Wiley, 1996. 383 pp. Cloth in fine dust jacket. Fine. $25.
* First edition. A history of risk and methods used to deal with it
from antiquity to the 1990’s.
Revised 1875, 14th Edition of Bouvier’s Dictionary
18. Bouvier, John [1787-1851], Compiler.
A Law Dictionary, Adapted to the Constitution and Laws of the United
States of America, And of the Several States of the American Union:
With References to the Civil and Other Systems of Law.
Revised and Greatly Enlarged. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott & Co.,
1875. Two volumes. Octavo (6-1/2" x 9-3/4"). Contemporary cloth,
calf lettering pieces and owner labels to spines. Light shelfwear
and soiling, some chipping to edges of lettering pieces, two partial
cracks to text block of Volume II. Interior notably fresh. A
well-preserved set. $500.
*
Fourteenth edition (copyright 1871). The first American law dictionary
when it was originally published in 1839, it went through eighteen
editions, the final appearing in 1914. “During his years of study
[Bouvier] had discovered the handicap under which the student
and lawyer labored at that time due to the lack of a dictionary
containing legal information logically and conveniently compiled.
He began work on a great dictionary and indefatigably applied
himself to it, in spite of increasing duties... Nevertheless,
in 1839, he was able to give his completed dictionary to fill
the need of the profession. [In it] he sought to cover all legal
subjects and terms arising under such a title, giving citations
from federal and state courts.”: Dictionary of American Biography
I:490. Catalogue of the Library of the Harvard Law School
(1909) I:213. See illustration below.
A Lovely Copy of the Early Laws of Massachusetts
19. Brigham, William, Editor.
The Compact With the Charter and Laws of the Colony of New
Plymouth: Together With the Charter Containing the Articles of
Confederation of the United Colonies of New England, And Other
Valuable Documents. Published Agreeably to a Resolve, Passed April
5, 1836.
Boston: Dutton and Wentworth, 1836. x, [2], 357 pp. Octavo (6-1/4" x
9-3/4"). Contemporary sheep, lettering piece to spine. Light rubbing
with minor wear to extremities, some chipping to head of spine, rear
joint starting. “Town of Barnstable” in fine hand to front board,
title page and front pastedown, along with a Barnstable bookplate.
Faint offsetting to margins of endleaves, light foxing to some
leaves, interior otherwise fresh. $150.
* Only edition. Contents include the complete texts of the Great
Patent of New England, Act of Council of Plymouth, Devon County,
England, Leyden Agreement, Mayflower Compact, Charter of the Colony
of New Plymouth, Generall Lawes and Liberties of New Plymouth
Colony, Laws and Orders of the General Court 1623-1691 and many
other documents. Babbitt, Hand-List of Legislative Sessions and
Session Laws 178.
First English Edition 1748,
of One of the Great Treatises on Natural Law
20. Burlamaqui, J[ean] J[acques] [1697-1748].
The Principles of Natural Law. In Which the True Systems of
Morality and Civil Government Are Established; And the Different
Sentiments of Grotius, Hobbes, Puffendorf, Barbeyrac, Locke, Clark,
and Hutchinson, Occasionally Considered. Translated Into English
by Mr. Nugent. London: Printed for J. Nourse, 1748. [xii], [xi]-xvi,
[26], 312 pp. Octavo (5" x 8-1/4"). Contemporary speckled calf, gilt
frames to boards, gilt-edged raised bands to spine, rebacked
retaining original spine, recent period-style lettering piece.
Rubbing and a few minor scuffs, corners bumped, hinges mended. Light
offsetting to margins of preliminaries, early bookplate and
annotation to front pastedown, another annotation to front free
endpaper. Minor worming to lower margin of some leaves, interior
otherwise fresh. A handsome copy. $2,000.
* First English edition. Burlamaqui, a Swiss jurist and professor of
civil and natural law at Geneva, outlined a constitutional system
based on principles similar to those of the American founding
fathers. “Burlamaqui formulated the principles of popular
sovereignty, of delegated power, of a constitution as a fundamental
law, of a personal and functional separation of powers into three
independent departments... and finally, he provided for an
institutional guardian of the fundamental law” (Harvey).
Burlamaqui’s other great achievement was to put Pufendorf’s theories
into systematic form. Blackstone was among the many jurists
influenced by this work. In 1847 Marvin stated a general opinion
when he said “his works are deservedly held in high esteem.”:
Legal Bibliography (1847) 162. OCLC locates 49 copies of this
edition. Harvey, Jean Jacques Burlamaqui: A Liberal Tradition in
American Constitutionalism 178-179.
BMC
4:684.
Settlement Cases Relating to Justices of the Peace
21. Caldecott, Thomas [1744-1833].
Reports of Cases Relative to the Duty and Office of a Justice of
the Peace, From Michaelmas Term 1776, Inclusive, to Michaelmas Term
1785, Inclusive. Dublin: Printed for John Millikin, 1790. [xii],
388 pp. Octavo (5" x 8-1/4") Contemporary calf, raised bands and
lettering piece to spine. Light rubbing to boards with some wear to
edges, moderate rubbing to spine with light chipping to ends, front
joint cracked but secure, hinges starting. Bookplates to front and
rear pastedowns. Offsetting to margins at beginning and end of text
block, light foxing to some sections, interior otherwise fresh.
$300.
* Third edition. This collection of reports was produced as a
continuation of Sir James Burrow’s Decisions of the Court of
King’s Bench, Upon Settlement-Cases, which covered the years
1732 to 1776. “Mr. Caldecott is generally allowed to have been
peculiarly conversant with this branch of the law.”: Bridgeman,
[title not listed] cited in Marvin, Legal Bibliography 170.
OCLC locates 19 copies of this edition, 51 of all editions. This
work went through five editions, the final appearing in 1800. Sweet
& Maxwell note that some copies of early editions are bound with
supplements to bring the work up to date with the final edition. See
1:386 (5). See illustration below.
22. Cardozo, Benjamin N.
What Medicine Can Do For Law. New York: Harper & Brothers,
1930. 52 pp. Reprinted 2005 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. ISBN
1-58477-669-2. Cloth. $50.
* Reprint of the first edition. Cardozo [1870-1938], an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, was one of the most influential
American jurists of the twentieth century. “This noteworthy address,
with its appreciation of the scientific problems involved, its
courage and social vision, will go down in history as one of the
most valuable contributions in our time to medico-legal
jurisprudence.”: Shientag, Moulders of Legal Thought 39.
23. Caruthers, Abraham. Martin, Andrew B., Editor.
The History of a Law Suit. With a Table of Corresponding Code
Sections Showing Where Sections of
Shannon’s Annotated Code, Cited in This Work, May Be Found in the
1932 Code of Tennessee.
Revised. Cincinnati: The W.H. Anderson Company, [1919]. xv, 709 pp.
Original cloth, moderate shelfwear, front hinge cracked but secure.
Annotations to front endleaves, occasional annotations to text in
light pencil. A solid copy. $60.
* Fifth edition. Addresses criminal procedure and pleading under the
Tennessee Code.
24. Caesar, Julius, Sir [1558-1663], Compiler; Hill, L.M., Editor.
The
Ancient State Authoritie, and Proceedings of the Court of Requests
by Sir Julius Caesar.
Edited with an Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
[1975]. xlvii, 281 pp. Original cloth, light shelfwear, internally
clean. $60.
* The court of requests was a minor equity court that flourished
during the Tudor and Stuart periods. It is an ancestor of the small
claims court.
Caesar’s
manuscript was compiled around 1600.
25. Chambrun, Adolphe de.
The Executive Power in the
United States: A Study of Constitutional Law.
Translated From the Original French by Mrs. Madeleine Vinton
Dahlgren. Lancaster: Inquirer Printing and Publishing Company, 1874.
xvii, 19-288, 15 pp. Reprinted 2004 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd.
ISBN 1-58477-402-9. Cloth. $95.
* With a
preface by James A. Garfield. Like Tocqueville, the Marquis de
Chambrun [1831-1891] was fascinated by the United States and its
government. He also shared Tocqueville’s belief that the United
States is a testing ground for the forces shaping the modern world.
Chambrun’s study of the federal government’s executive branch offers
a number of interesting observations. He doubts the value of the
vice-presidency and argues that quadrennial elections promote
liberty by creating momentary periods of political instability. He
offers equally interesting observations on such topics as the Civil
War, the impeachment of President Johnson and the relationship
between the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches.
First American Edition of Chitty on Contracts
26. Chitty, Joseph [d. 1838].
A Practical Treatise on the Law of Contracts, Not Under Seal; And
Upon the Usual Defences to Actions Thereon. With Corrections and
Additional References by a Member of the Massachusetts Bar.
Boston: Published by Wells and Lilly, 1827. xvi, 345, [40] pp.
Star-paged. Octavo (5-3/4" x 9-1/2"). Recent period-style quarter
calf over cloth, raised bands and lettering piece to spine,
endpapers renewed. Small clean tear to title page. Occasional light
foxing, internally clean. A nice copy in a handsome binding. $750.
* First
American edition, based on the first London edition (1826), to which
it is star-paged. The standard treatise of its day, it went through
several editions in Great Britain and the United States. “This is a
very comprehensive collection of cases upon the law of contracts....
As a book of reference it is pre-eminently better than any existing
treatise on the law of contracts.... Mr. Chitty’s laborious and
generally accurate analysis of cases, and the arrangement of his
subject, have conferred upon his book a degree of authority and
value of no ordinary kind. It is a deservedly popular work with the
profession.:” Marvin, Legal Bibliography (1847) 194 (citing a
later edition). OCLC locates 12 copies of this edition. Cohen,
Bibliography of Early American Law 3625. See illustration below.
27. Chroust, Anton-Hermann.
The Rise of the Legal Profession in
America.
Norman: University of Oklahoma, [1965]. Two volumes. Cloth, fine in
very good slipcase. $45.
* A
history of American law from the colonial period to 1840. Volume I:
The Colonial Experience, Volume II: The Revolution and the
Post-Revolutionary Era.
Second Edition of
Cooley’s Constitutional Limitations
28. Cooley, Thomas M[cIntyre] [1824-1898].
A Treatise on the Constitutional Limitations Which Rest Upon the
Legislative Power of the States of the American
Union.
With Considerable Additions, Giving the Results of the Recent Cases.
Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1871. liv, [2], 781 pp.
Star-paged. Octavo (5-3/4" x 9-1/2"). Recent period-style quarter
calf over cloth, raised bands and lettering piece to spine,
endpapers renewed. Early owner signature to title page, which is
lightly soiled, interior otherwise clean. Handsome. $500.
* Second edition. Star-paged to the first edition. Cooley was one of
most important American jurists of the late nineteenth century and a
leading conservative. Along with the present title, his principal
works are the present work and General Principles of
Constitutional Law in the United States (1880). This influential
work puts him on a par with Story among the foremost commentators on
the Constitution. “His discussion attained immediate fame and his
views and suggestions practically dominated American Constitutional
Law, particularly in the state courts...”: Marke396.
Final Edition of Cooley on Taxation
29. Cooley, Thomas M. Nichols, Clark, Editor.
The Law of Taxation. Chicago: Callaghan and Company, 1924.
Four volumes. Original buckram, raised bands and red and black
lettering pieces to spines. Moderate shelfwear, light soiling, title
page detached from Volume I, rear endleaf lacking from Volume III,
hinges cracked or starting, some mended with tape. Internally clean.
Ex-library. Institution names to head of each spine. $250.
* Fourth
and final edition of an important work on tax law. Contents include
“Taxes, Their Nature and Kinds,” “Power to Tax,” “Curing Defects in
Tax Proceedings,” “Taxation by Special Assessment,” “Remedies for
Illegal and Unjust Taxation.” Marke 834.
Uncommon Innovative Treatise Dealing With Deeds
30. Cornish, William Floyer [c.1801-1830]. Horsey, George
[1819-1899], Editor.
Cornish’s Treatise on Purchase Deeds, of Freehold Estates, And
Incidentally of Leasehold Property, With Precedents and Practical
Notes. Philadelphia: T. & J.W. Johnson & Co., 1856. xxiii,
[25]-172, 4 pp. Star-paged. Includes four-page publisher catalogue.
Octavo (5-3/4" x 9"). Contemporary sheep, blind frames to boards,
blind fillets and lettering piece to spine. A few scuffs and stains
to boards, some wear to spine ends, joints and corners, hinges just
starting at ends. Offsetting to margins of endleaves, light foxing
to a few leaves. Owner annotation to front pastedown, his signature
to facing free endpaper and head of preface, interior otherwise
clean. $350.
* First and only American edition, based on the second London
edition of 1855, to which it is star-paged. “In many respects this
is a remarkable work. Originally published in 1828, it was the
precursor of the modern forms of conveyancing, in respect to brevity
and conciseness. Certainly it is most highly creditable to the
sagacity of the author, and demonstrates the soundness of his
acquaintance with principles, to find that so little advance has
been made ahead of the principles which being then in a miserable
minority, he so many years ago advocated, and so little improvement
effected in the framework in which he embodied his views. But the
book is not only remarkable it is in the highest degree adapted for
use. (...) This work having been given to the world at a time when
the public was not prepared for innovation, and had not acquired the
now reigning tastes for brevity despatch, and economy of time,
labour, and expense, attracted but little attention, and has never
been as well known as it deserved to be. Mr. Horsey, however, the
editor of the new edition, by careful additions and improvements,
has brought up the work to the standard of the present day....”:
Law Magazine: Or Quarterly Review of Jurisprudence 23 (1855)
198. This treatise was also reprinted in The Law Library 90
(May/June 1856). OCLC locates 34 copies. Cohen 9515.
31. Cowell, John [1554-1611].
The Interpreter: Or Booke Containing the Signification of Words:
Wherein is Set Foorth the True Meaning of All, or the Most Part of
Such Words and Termes, as are Mentioned in the Lawe Writers, or
Statutes of This Victorious and Renowned Kingdome, Requiring Any
Exposition or Interpretation. A Worke Not Onely Profitable, but
Necessary for Such as Desire Throughly to be Instructed in the
Knowledge of Our Lawes, Statutes, and Other Antiquities.
Cambridge: Printed by John Legate, 1607. Reprint. Menson, England:
The Scolar Press Limited, 1972. Unpaged. Text printed in double
columns. Original cloth, light shelfwear, small stain to front
board, internally clean. $95.
* Facsimile reprint of first edition.
A Guide to Tithes
32. [Crashaw, William (1572-1626)].
Decimarum & Oblationum Tabula. A Tithing-Table: Or Table of
Tithes and Oblations, According to the Ecclesiastical Laws and
Ordinances Established in the Church of England, Now Newly Reduced
Into a Book. Containing as Well the Very Letter of the Law Under
Which These Rights be Severally Comprised, Together With Such
Questions of Tithing, and Their Resolutions by the Laws Canon,
Civil, and Approved Doctors Opinions of the Same, as be Ordinarily
Moved, and Which Do Often Prove to Controversies Herein. As Also a
Brief and Summary Declaration of Composition, Transaction, Custom,
Prescription, Priviledge: And How They Prevail in Tithing. Annexed
Hereunto, Summarily, Such Statute-Laws of the Land Concerning These
Rights, As Have Been Herein Authorised, and Now Do Remain in Their
Force Accordingly. To the Easie and Plain Instructions of All
Subjects or Lay, Whether in These Rights to Demand Them, or Bounden
to Perform the Same. London: Printed for R. Scot, T. Basset, J.
Wright, and R. Chiswelol, 1683. [vi], 39 pp. Quarto (6-1/2" x 8").
Later signed binding by Sangorski and Sutcliff with cloth slipcase.
Speckled calf, gilt double frames with corner rosettes to boards,
raised bands and lettering piece to spine, marbled endpapers, inside
gilt dentelles, all edges gilt. Light wear to joints and corners,
minor shelfwear to slipcase. Attractive woodcut head-pieces and
decorated initial. Minor chips to some edges, corners lacking from a
few leaves with no loss to text. Later notes to front endleaves in
pen and pencil, interior otherwise clean. $500.
* Later edition of a work first published in 1591. Crashaw, a
Puritan divine and poet, was an incumbent of St. Mary’s Whitechapel
in London. He held a degree in civil law from Cambridge. OCLC
locates 8 copies of this edition. Not in Sweet & Maxwell. Wing,
Short-Title Catalogue of Books Printed in
England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and British America
6849. See illustration below.
Written to Discourage
American Intervention in Cuba?
33. [Cuyas, Arturo, and L.V. Abad De Las Casas].
The New Constitutional Laws for
Cuba. Text of the Recent Measures for the Self-Government of the
Island, With Comments Thereon.
New York: Published by the Associated Spanish and Cuban Press, 1897.
168 pp. Octavo (6" x 9"). Original printed wrappers, hand-lettered
title to spine, moderate shelfwear, stab holes near spine ends.
Ex-library. Location numbers to spine and front cover. Bookplate to
front pastedown. $150.
* This pamphlet was written to demonstrate how Cuba was reforming
its legal system, government and social structure to incorporate
changes demanded by American critics. Written a year before the
Spanish-American War, it seems to be addressed to those who were
promoting the annexation of Cuba and Puerto Rico in the name of
democracy. OCLC locates 56 copies.
“Highly Esteemed and
Very Much Relied Upon”: Marvin
34. Dalrymple, John [1726-1810].
An Essay Towards a General History of Feudal Property in Great
Britain, Under the Following Heads, I. History of the Introduction
of the Feudal System into Great Britain. II. History of Tenures.
III. History of the Alienation of Land Property. IV. History of
Entails. V. History of the Laws of Succession or Descent. VI.
History of the Forms of Conveyance. VII. History of Jurisdictions,
and of the Forms of Procedure in Courts. VIII. History of the
Constitution of Parliament.
London: Printed for A. Millar, 1757. vii, 332 pp. Octavo (4-3/4" x
8-3/4"). Contemporary calf, rebacked in period style with raised
bands and lettering piece. Light rubbing to boards with some wear to
corners, hinges mended. A few tiny worm holes to bottom edges of
preliminaries, lower corning lacking from a leaf with no loss to
text. Faint offsetting to margins of preliminaries and final index
leaves, light foxing and finger smudges to a few leaves, interior
otherwise fresh. $500.
* First edition. According to Marvin, this treatise was “highly
esteemed and very much relied upon by those who have had occasion to
investigate the Feudal Law since Dalrymple wrote.” It traces the law
of real property from its feudal origins in Scotland and England,
and attempts to outline its the principles as they developed over
time. Particular attention is paid to differences between English
and Scottish laws. Dalrymple’s larger goal is to promote the
unification of the two legal systems by demonstrating their similar
origins and early development. OCLC locates 14 copies of this
edition, 53 of all editions. Marvin 250. Sweet & Maxwell 1:444 (5).
Heavily Illustrated Sixteenth-Century
Treatise on Criminal Law
35. Damhouder, Josse (Joost) de [1507-1581].
Praxis Rerum Criminalium: Praetoribus, Propraetoribus,
Consulibus, Proconsulibus, Magistratibus, Reliquisque id Genus
Iustitiariis [Justitiariis] ac Officiaiis, Apprime Utilis &
Necessaria. Antwerp: Ioannem Bellerum, 1570.508 pp. Text printed
in double columns. 70 text woodcuts. 68 depict criminal acts, 2
depict types of torture. One leaf from index lacking (supplied in
facsimile). Quarto (6-1/4" x 8-1/2"). Large armorial woodcuts at
beginning and end of book. Later three quarter-calf over cloth,
raised bands and lettering piece to spine, marbled endpapers, hinges
mended. Recently rebacked retaining original spine, light rubbing to
boards, some wear to extremities. Early repairs to index leaves,
some wear to fore-edges of preliminaries, faint dampspotting to a
few leaves. Light browning to margins, interior otherwise fresh.
$4,500.
* First published in 1551, this was the first comprehensive study of
criminal procedure published in northern Europe. A synthetic work
drawn mostly from Roman-Dutch sources, it was based on Philip
Wielant’s Practycke Crimineele (1439-1519) and other earlier
treatises. Published in Latin, Dutch and French, it was standard
authority throughout the continent for many years. This Dutch
edition from 1570 is illustrated throughout with woodcuts depicting
adultery, murder, theft and many other crimes. Damhouder was an
advisor to the Duke of Burgundy and a prolific author of legal and
religious treatises. KVK locates 20 copies of this edition. Dekkers,
Bibliotheca Belgica Juridica 44. See illustration below.
36. Davis, George B., Compiler.
The Military Laws of the
United States.
Prepared, Under the Direction of the Honorable Elihu Root, Secretary
of War. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1901. 1152 pp.
Original buckram, marbled edges, light shelfwear. Small cellotape
repair to head of title page, residue from price sticker to front
pastedown. Soiling to title page and a few leaves, interior
otherwise clean. $30.
* Fourth edition. Lt. Colonel Davis was professor of law and history
at West Point.
Interesting Sections on
the
Alabama
Case and the American Civil War
37. De Burgh, William.
The Elements of Maritime International Law. With a Preface on
Some Unsettled Questions of Public Law. London: Longmans, Green,
and Co., 1868. xlix, 228 pp. Octavo (5-3/4" x 8-3/4"). Original
textured cloth, blind frames to boards, rebacked retaining original
lightly faded spine. Later armorial bookplate of William Paine
Sheffield to front pastedown. Light foxing to a few leaves, interior
otherwise fresh. $450.
* First and only edition. “It gives a good summary of the law as to
the freedom of the seas, visit and search, enemy character and
domicile, trading with the enemy, the effect of sailing under an
enemy’s flag or pas... &c &c. There is an introduction in which some
unsettled questions in this branch of the law are discusses—the
Alabama Case, the right to seize enemy property as a droit of
the admiralty on the outbreak of the law, the custom not to
confiscate rights in the public debt belonging to citizens of a
belligerent state.”: Holdsworth, History of English Law
XV:333. Sheffield [1857-1919], a member of an important Rhode Island
family, was a U.S. Congressman and Senator. Sweet & Maxwell 2:96.
38. Edwards, George J.
The Grand Jury: An Essay. Philadelphia: George T. Bisel
Company, 1906. lxxix, 219 pp. Reprinted 2004 by The Lawbook
Exchange, Ltd. ISBN 1-58477-432-0. Cloth. $75.
* This important book traces the history and development of the
grand jury from its origins in Saxon England to the author’s time.
First Edition of
the First American Treatise on Patents
39. Fessenden, Thomas G. [1771-1837].
An Essay on the Law of Patents for New Inventions. With an
Appendix Containing the French Patent Law, Forms, &c. Boston:
Published by D. Mallory & Co., 1810. [2], [ix]-xxxix, [41]-229, [1]
pp. Octavo (5-1/4" x 8-1/4"). Contemporary sheep, lettering piece,
blind fillets to boards and spine. Rubbed, front hinge starting at
bottom edge. An attractive, well-preserved copy of an important
title scarce in the trade. $1,000.
* First edition of the first American book on the subject. A true
“Renaissance man,” Fessenden was a lawyer, poet, journalist,
inventor and venture capitalist who promoted various inventions. He
was the holder of two patents for heating devices. He promoted
“scientific” techniques in The New England Farmer, a journal
he founded. Also a prominent satirist, he wrote numerous pieces
under the pseudonym Christopher Caustic for one of his other
journals, The Terrible Tractoration. His treatise contains
summaries of the relevant statutes, digests of leading cases (such
as Whitney v. Carter over the invention of the cotton gin)
and comparisons between the patent laws of the Unites States, Great
Britain and France. The appendix contains the United States Patent
Law of 1800, a bilingual collection of French laws and a set of
French recommendations for improvements in the laws of the United
States. Shaw and Shoemaker, American Bibliography 20110.
Cohen 7129.
40. Fessenden, Thomas G.
An Essay on the Law of Patents for New Inventions. With an
Appendix Containing the French Patent Law, Forms, &c. Boston:
Published by D. Mallory & Co., 1810. xxxix, [40]-229 pp. pp.
Reprinted 2003 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. LCCN 2003044243. ISBN
1-58477-357-X. Cloth. $150.
* Reprint of the scarce first edition.
1658 Formbook Collected With “Industry and Care”
41. Fidell, Thomas, Compiler.
A Perfect Guide for a Studious Young Lawyer. Being Presidents for
Conveyances, And Other Business of the Like Kind. Collected and
Gathered Together Out of the Most Studious, Carefull, and Learned
Labours of the Reverend and Learned Sages of the Law; The Lord Coke,
The Lord Hobart, The Lord Richardson, Justice Haughton, Justice
Reve, Justice Bacon, Sir William Denny, Master Godfrey, Sometimes of
Lincolns Inne, and Master Jermy, Sometimes of Norwich. Also Divers
Copyhold Entries in Court-Barons, With Justice of Peace Business,
Very Usefull for Them and Their Clerks; With an Addition of
Indictments and Fines. Collected Together by the Industry and
Care of Thomas Fidell, of Furnivals Inne, Gent., Who at Spare
Houres, Hath Made it His Study for Above Thirty Years. London:
Printed by Tho. Roycroft, for John Place, 1658. [iv], 277, [32] pp.
Copperplate portrait frontispiece. Octavo (4-1/4" x 6-1/4").
Nineteenth-century sheep, raised bands and lettering piece to spine.
Moderate rubbing to extremities, a few scuffs to rear boards,
endpapers renewed, title lettered to fore-edge in early hand.
Woodcut head-piece and decorated initial. Offsetting to margins of
endleaves, occasional minor chipping, wear and worming to edges of
text block, some wear to edges of frontispiece, which also has
additional minor loss to fore-edge from trimming. Faint dampstaining
to portions of text. Early annotations and later owner inscription
to preliminaries, early underlining to a few passages, interior
otherwise clean. An appealing copy of a scarce work. $1,200.
* Second edition. With side-notes. First published in 1654, this is
an extensive formbook drawn from the works of Bacon, Coke and other
distinguished British jurists. OCLC locates 14 copies of this
edition. Sweet & Maxwell 1:481 (24). See illustration below.
The First English Book on Evidence
42. Gilbert, Sir Geoffrey [1674-1726].
The Law of Evidence. Corrected; With Many Additions; And a
Complete Table to the Whole. London, Printed: Philadelphia:
Re-Printed and Sold by Joseph Cruikshank, 1788. iv, 286, [76] pp.
Octavo (5" x 8"). Recent period-style quarter calf over cloth,
raised bands, lettering piece, endpapers renewed. Occasional light
foxing, interior otherwise clean. Appealing. $750.
* Fifth edition, a reprint of the fourth London edition, 1777.
Despite its designation, this is actually the first American
edition. The first book devoted to the subject of evidence, “[i]t
long held its place as the chief book on this topic; and Blackstone
is loud in its praises” (Holdsworth). Indeed, Blackstone thought so
highly of this work that he apologized for not treating the subject
of evidence at length “because of the fulness and excellence
of...Gilbert’s treatise, a work which it is impossible to abstract
or abridge, without losing some beauty and destroying the chain of
the whole.”: Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England
III:367. Holdsworth, Sources and Literature of English Law
120. Cohen 5055.
Scarce 1840 Insurance Treatise
43. Hammond, Elisha [1780-1851].
A Treatise on the Law of Fire Insurance, And Insurance on Inland
Waters. In Two Parts. With an Appendix of Forms. New York:
Published by Halstead & Voorhies, 1840. xi, 182 pp. Octavo (5-1/2" x
8-3/4"). Contemporary sheep. Blind fillets to boards, blind fillets
and residue from lettering piece to spine. Rubbing with some wear to
spine, joints and board edges, front joint just starting near head.
Early bookseller ticket and later armorial bookplate of William
Paine Sheffield to front pastedown. Light foxing to most of text.
Inkspots to a few leaves, interior otherwise clean. Scarce. $500.
* Only edition. An early American work devoted to fire insurance.
With forms and a table of cases. Contents include “Of the Property
and Interest of the Insured,” “The Nature and Extent of the Risk for
Which the Insurer Undertakes,” “Of Insurance Agents,” “Of the Form
and Requisites of a Policy,” “Warranty and Conditions,”
“Misrepresentation and Concealment,” “ Of Losses,” “Of the
Proceedings on Policies,” “Of Assignment of Policies,” “Of
Proceedings in Equity,” “Of Double and Re-insurance, “Of the
Recovery Back of Losses Improperly Paid,” “Of Insurance Upon Inland
Waters.” OCLC locates 31 copies. Cohen 7062.
Hawkins’s Classic Treatise on Criminal Law
44. Hawkins, William [1673-1746].
A Treatise of the Pleas of the Crown: Or, a System of the
Principal Matters Relating to that Subject, Digested Under Their
Proper Heads. [London]: Printed by E. and R. Nutt, and R.
Gosling, 1739. Two volumes in one with separate paginations. Folio
(9" x 13-3/4"). Contemporary calf, blind rules to boards, raised
bands and lettering piece to spine. Light boards, moderate rubbing
to extremities, boards partially detached but secure, front free
endpaper detached. Interior notably fresh. An appealing copy and a
worthy candidate for rebacking. $1,000.
* Third edition. Of considerable importance in the history of
criminal law, criminal procedure and criminal jurisdiction,
Hawkins’s great work is “deservedly of high authority and still
cited. It was the starting-point of modern laborious treatises on
the criminal law which are valuable as digests of the subject, but
which have no advance on Hawkins plan or style” (Winfield). OCLC
locates 22 copies of this edition. Winfield, Chief Sources of
English Legal History 326. Sweet & Maxwell 1:362 (37).
The Status of Jews
in Commonwealth and Restoration England
45. Henriques, H.S.Q.
The Return of the Jews to
England: Being a Chapter in the History of English Law.
London: MacMillan and Company, Limited, 1905. viii, 132 pp. Original
cloth, some shelfwear, small stain to front board, corners bumped,
hinges mended. Light foxing to a few leaves. Owner signature to
front pastedown, interior otherwise clean. $350.
* It appears that Jews lived in the Atlantic Isles since the Saxon
period. They were joined in 1071 by a community of French Jews.
Though they suffered discrimination, the English Jews enjoyed a
measure of toleration and enjoyed royal protection. Their situation
changed drastically during the reign of Edward I. After a period of
intense persecution they were banished in 1290. They were not
allowed to return until the time of the Commonwealth and
Restoration, when they were gradually readmitted. Henriques
discusses the statutes and cases relating to this period and
reconstructs this complex chapter in English history. OCLC locates
52 copies.
46. Hohfeld, Wesley.
Fundamental Legal Conceptions as Applied in Judicial Reasoning.
Edited by Walter Wheeler Cook, with a New Foreword by Arthur L.
Corbin. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1964. xv, 114 pp.
Reprinted 2000 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. LCCN 00-064108. ISBN
1-58477-162-3. Cloth. $55.
* This edition is distinguished by the foreword by Arthur L. Corbin,
author of the renowned Corbin on Contracts. Since his death
Hohfeld’s essays on the concepts of right and duty have been
increasingly recognized for their significance as a foundation of
thought on analytical jurisprudence.
An Indispensable Work of Great Authority
47. Holdsworth, Sir William S.
A History of English Law. Edited by A.L. Goodhart and H.G.
Hanbury. With an Introductory Essay and Additions by S.B. Chrimes.
Index volume prepared by John Burke. London: Methuen & Co., Ltd.,
and Sweet & Maxwell, 1964-1966. Seventeen volumes. Cloth very good,
in lightly worn dust jackets, one a well-produced recent facsimile
dust jacket. A very nice set. $2,500.
* Latest and most complete revised edition on an indispensable work
of great authority. “The only complete history of the English law in
detail. Also much essential bibliographical information... No review
can give an adequate idea of the masses of valuable learning
contained in these volumes, the extent and variety of the ground
which has been covered, or the tireless labour and sober scholarship
which have been devoted to the task.”: T.F.T. Plucknett, Harvard
Law Review 38:698-701 cited in Marke 139. See illustration below.
An Important English Treatise on Slander and Libel
48. Holt, Francis Ludlow [1780-1844]. [Bleecker, Anthony, Editor].
The Law of Libel: In Which is Contained a General History of This
Law In the Ancient Codes, and of Its Introduction, and Successive
Alterations, In the Law of England. Comprehending a Digest of All
the Leading Cases Upon Libels, From the Earliest to the Present
Time. First American, From the Second London Edition, With
References to American Cases. New York: Published by Stephen Gould,
1818. xii, [13]-328 pp. Octavo (5-1/4" x 8-1/4"). Recent
period-style quarter calf over cloth, gilt fillets and lettering
piece to spine, endpapers renewed. Occasional light foxing. Early
owner signature and embossed stamp to title page, interior otherwise
fresh. $750.
* First American edition, from the second London edition, 1816.
First published in 1812, this was the standard English treatise on
slander and libel in the opening decades of the nineteenth century.
Though it was eventually superseded, it remained an authoritative
history of the subject. With its intelligent discussion of sources
and cases it is just as valuable today. Holt was a member of the
Inner Temple. Also the author of treatises on nisi prius,
bankruptcy, admiralty law and Parliament, his work was held in high
esteem by Kent. OCLC locates 61 copies of this edition. Cohen 10934.
Appeal Cases in the House of Lords, 1733-1737
49. [House of Lords].
[Items Relating to Appeal Cases Heard by the House of Lords
1733-1737]. About 200 printed documents, early hand-written
table of contents laid in, hand-numbered pagination throughout.
Documents are of various sizes, most are trifold. A leaf lacking
from one item. 11" x 17" folio. Three quarter calf over grey paper
boards, worn, spine lacking, contents disbound. Occasional
dampstaining, browning and chipping to edges of many documents,
pagination washed away or obscured in some cases. Early annotations,
some quite extensive, thoughout. A curious and unique item worthy of
further study (and rebacking). $750.
* This volume contains about 200 appellant briefs, respondent
briefs, wills and other documents from appeal cases dealing with
peerage and inheritance claims heard in the House of Lords from 1733
to 1737. Most have annotations. The table of contents indicates that
this volume was part of a set. It was probably compiled for an
attorney. The manuscript notes were probably written by an attorney
or clerk. A fascinating volume, it offers a glimpse into the
practice of judicial administration in the House of Lords during the
early eighteenth century.
50. Hughes, Robert M.
Handbook of Admiralty Law. St. Paul: West Publishing Co.,
1920. xviii, 572 pp. [With Supplement Entitled] Rules of
Practice For the Courts of the
United States in Admiralty and Maritime Jurisdiction. Promulgated by
the Supreme Court of the United States December 6, 1920 to Take
Effect March 7, 1921.
[ii], [249]-264 pp. Original buckram, some shelfwear and soiling.
Supplement stapled to index. Light browning to Rules of Practice.
Owner name and inscription to front free endpaper, interior
otherwise clean. $85.
* Second edition. A title in West’s Hornbook Series. “Mr. Hughes’
work deserves its standing in the bibliography of the admiralty and
forms one of a varied and interesting group of American authorities
on the subject.”: G.L. Canfield, Michigan Law Review 19
(1920-1921) 580-582.
From the Library of a Prominent New York Attorney
51. Impey, John [d.1829].
The Modern Pleader, Containing the Several Forms of Declarations
in All Actions, With Notes Thereon; Also, A Collection of Choice and
Useful Precedents, For Declarations in the Superior Courts, In the
Action of Account, And Common Assumpsit, With Those on Promissory
Notes. To Which Are Added, A Variety of Useful Notes and
Observations; The Several Cases Determined in Those Actions, With
the Evidence Necessary to Support Each Declaration; A Table of Cases
Cited, And a Copious Index; The Whole Made Easy and Useful to
Students, and to the Practisers in Town and Country; Furnishing the
Latter With the Necessary Instructions for Their Agents. Dublin:
Printed for John Exshaw, P. Byrne, James Moore [et al.], 1795. viii,
[iv], 444, [47] pp. Octavo (5" x 8"). Contemporary calf, blind
fillets to boards, raised bands and lettering piece to spine.
Rubbing with some wear to extremities, corners bumped and moderately
worn, joints cracked but secure, light rubbing and a few tiny stains
to boards, some worming to front. Small early owner bookplate pasted
over signature of Theodore Sedgwick, Jr. Sedgwick’s signature to
head of title page and verso of rear free endpaper. Early owner
bookplate and later institution bookplate to verso of front free
endpaper. Minor worming to front pastedown and a few leaves with no
loss to text, light foxing to a few leaves. Occasional inkspots,
interior otherwise clean. $300.
* First edition. With a table of cases. This treatise is notable for
its introduction, which is a history of pleading with an outline of
its principles. Theodore Sedgwick, Jr. was the son of Theodore
Sedgwick, the important Federalist legislator and judge. A prominent
member of the New York City bar, he was a keen law reformer and the
author of The English Practice (1822), a scathing critique of
the common law of New York. He was a mentor to David Dudley Field.
OCLC locates 25 copies of this edition, 39 copies of all editions.
Sweet & Maxwell 1:271 (84). See illustration below.
52. Jackson, Percival.
The Law of Cadavers and of Burial and Burial Places. New
York: Prentice-Hall, 1937. lxxv, 734 pp. Original cloth, some
shelfwear, front hinge cracked but secure, rear hinge starting.
Owner inscription to front free endpaper, interior otherwise clean.
$65.
* First edition. “The author segregates the law related to burial,
corpses, and cemeteries into a niche of its own. (...) Where
judicial precedent is lacking or, though unavailable, is meager, the
author endeavors to formulate rules based on considerations of
public health and convenience, the sentiments of the bereaved, and
the customary practice and morals of the community, with due regard
for idiosyncrasies of cult.”: Columbia Law Review 50:1160
cited in Marke 293.
Popular Eighteenth-Century English Legal Guide
53. Jacob, Giles [1686-1744].
The Common Law Common-Placed: Containing, The Substance and
Effect of all the Common Law Cases Dispersed in the Body of the Law,
Collected as Well from Abridgments as Reports, in a Perfect New
Method. Wherein Likewise The Terms of the Law, and the Most
Considerable Writs and Processes, Are Concisely Treated of, Under
Their Proper Titles. With an Abstract of Statutes, Relating to the
General Heads Thereof, and Exact References Throughout. The Whole
Compleated So As to Be Useful to Counsellors, Attorneys, Students of
the Law, and Other Gentlemen. With Large Additions [London]:
E.R. Nutt, and R. Gosling, 1733. Folio (8: x 12-1/2"). Recent
period-style quarter calf over speckled paper boards, raised bands
with gilt fillets and lettering piece to spine, endpapers renewed.
Early owner signatures to endleaves and title page, small stamp
reading “Rockingham County” and “Woodbury” in fine early hand to
front free endpaper. Some offsetting to endleaves, text notably
fresh. $1,500.
* Second edition. This layman’s guide by one of the most prolific
legal writers of eighteenth-century England was first published in
1726. Its final edition, the third, is a straight reprint of the
second. The mention of “other gentlemen” in the subtitle is
significant. Jacob, though certainly interested in boosting sales by
attracting the widest audience possible, was an idealist who
believed that widespread knowledge of the law would help create a
more just society. This is also evident in his other publications,
such as Every Man His Own Lawyer (1736) and Treatise of
Laws (1721). The Rockingham County stamp and Woodbury signature
indicate that this copy may have belonged to Levi Woodbury
[1789-1851], an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme court from
1845 to 1851. Woodbury lived in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the
county seat of Rockingham County. It is more likely, however, that
it belonged to one of his sons. Sweet & Maxwell 1:33 (43). See illustration below.
54. Jager, Eric.
The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal, and Trial by
Combat in Medieval
France.
New York: Broadway Books, 2004. 242 pp. Illustrations. Maps. Cloth
in dust jacket. Fine. $10.
A Layman’s Guide With a Dictionary
55. Jones, Silas.
An Introduction to Legal Science: Being a Concise and Familiar
Treatise On Such Legal Topics as Are Earliest Read by the Law
Student; Should Be Generally Taught in the Higher Seminaries of
Learning; And Understood By Every Citizen, As a Part of A General
and Business Education. To Which is Appended a Concise Dictionary of
Law Terms and Phrases. New-York: John S. Voorhies, 1842. xii,
356, 36 pp. Octavo (4-3/4" x 7-1/2"). Contemporary sheep, blind
fillets and lettering piece to spine. Light rubbing to boards, some
wear to extremities, chip to head of spine, joints starting. Light
foxing to most of text. Early owner signatures in pencil to front
endleaf and title page, interior otherwise clean. $500.
* Only edition. With a 36-page dictionary of legal terms and
phrases. “In preparing [this work] the earnest endeavor of the
writer has been to produce a book which could be both read and
studied, not merely by those destined for the legal profession, but
by those also, who, without the stimulus of professional
predilections, have simply the desire to give such attention to the
leading topics of law as belong to general and business education.”:
Preface [v]. OCLC locates 18 copies. Cohen 5395.
56. [Justinian (483-565 CE)]. Krueger, Paul, Editor.
Codex Iustinianus. Berlin: Apud Weidmannos, 1888. [xxx], 513
pp. Main text printed in double columns. Quarto (7" x 10-1/2").
Contemporary quarter calf over marbled boards, moderate shelfwear,
some chipping to spine ends. Binding covered in recent clear
laminate. Later owner bookplates to front pastedown. Light browning
to margins, interior otherwise fresh. A solid copy. $75.
* Later printing. With indexes. Volume II of the important
three-volume Berlin edition of the Corpus Juris Civilis
edited by Kroll, Krueger, Mommsen and Scholl.
57. [Justinian]. Krueger, Paul, and Theodor Mommsen, Editors.
Institutiones [and] Digesta. Berlin: Apud Weidmannos,
1886. [xx], 882 pp. Main text printed in double columns. Quarto (7"
x 10-1/2"). Later quarter calf over marbled boards, endpapers
renewed, gilt spine. Some shelfwear. Faint dampstaining and chipping
to edges of a few leaves. Early owner signature and annotations to
title page, other brief annotations to a few leaves, interior
otherwise clean. A nice copy. $75.
* Later printing. With indexes. Volume I of the important
three-volume Berlin edition of the Corpus Juris Civilis
edited by Kroll, Krueger, Mommsen and Scholl.
58. [Justinian]. Osenbruggen, Eduard, Editor.
Novellas et Reliqua Continens. Leipzig: Sumptibus
Baumgaertneri, 1861. [xvi], 893, [3] pp. Main text printed in double
columns. Quarto (7" x 10-1/2"). Contemporary three-quarter morocco
with raised bands over marbled boards, moderate rubbing with some
wear to extremities, hinges cracked but secure. Offsetting to
margins of endleaves, light foxing to most of text. Small early
owner stamp to title page, interior otherwise clean. A solid copy.
$75.
*
Later printing. With indexes. Volume III of the pioneering three-volume
Leipzig edition of the Corpus Juris Civilis edited by Hermann,
Albert and Moritz Kriegel and Osenbruggen.
|
|
