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1.
Angell, Joseph K.
A Treatise on the Law of Carriers of Goods and Passengers,
by Land and Water. Boston: Charles C. Little and James Brown,
1849. xxiv, 791 pp. Reprinted Fall 2003 by The Lawbook Exchange,
Ltd. ISBN 1-58477-292-1 Cloth. $95.
* The
first legal treatise on the subject of railroads. Angell
[1794-1857] was a Boston attorney and one of America’s first
significant legal scholars. A prolific author, he published
treatises on the law of corporations, watercourses and other
topics. His works were esteemed highly and Angell on Carriers
viewed as one of his finest treatises. James Kent said they were
indispensable to the intelligent lawyer (DAB); several were
required reading at Harvard Law School. With an appendix of
adjudged cases, acts of Congress “for the safety of passengers on
board of steam-boats” and an addenda of decisions “not published
in season to be inserted in the body of the work.” Dictionary
of National Biography I:310.
2. Collier, Wm.
Miller.
The Law of Bankruptcy and the National Bankruptcy Act of 1898.
A Treatise of the Principles and Practice of the Law of Bankruptcy
as Embodies in the New National Bankruptcy Act. Albany, N.Y.:
Matthew Bender, 1899. xxx, 695 pp. Reprinted 2003 by The Lawbook
Exchange, Ltd. ISBN 1-58477-296-4. Cloth. $110.
*
Reprint of the second enlarged edition of perhaps the most
authoritative and comprehensive treatise on the subject.
Vanderbilt considers this book to be one of America’s “great
textbooks” in which the “history of American law might well be
traced.” Now in its revised fifteenth edition, Collier on
Bankruptcy remains a highly-respected standard authority.
3.
Elliot, Jonathan, Compiler.
The American Diplomatic Code: Embracing a Collection of Treaties
and Conventions between the United States and Foreign Powers from
1778 to 1834. Also a Concise Diplomatic Manual Containing a Summary
of the Law of Nations from the Works of Wicquefort, Vattel, Martens,
Ward, Kent, Story, &c &c. Washington: Printed by J.
Elliott, Jun., 1834. Two volumes, 1,334 pp. Reprinted 2003 by
The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. ISBN 1-58477-301-4. Cloth. $195.
* A
useful source of original treaties and conventions with other
countries worldwide, with an index organized by country, a table
of the negotiators, a diplomatic chronology from 1326 to 1834
offering dates of treaties, and a summary of the law of nations
from selected renowned sources. First published in 1827, this
is a reprint of Elliot’s second, final and updated edition, which
was adopted by Secretary of State McLane for the use of his department
during the Jackson administration (1829-1837). “Although the collection
of treaties has been superseded by later collections, Elliot’s
summaries of judicial decisions are still valuable.” DAB
III:93. Elliot [1784-1846] is widely known as the author of the
important Constitutional collection, The Debates in the Several
State Conventions of the Adoption of the Federal Constitution,
as Recommended by the General Convention at Philadelphia in 1787.
Dictionary of American Biography III: 92-93.
4. Groat, George
Gorham.
Attitude of American Courts in Labor Cases: A Study in Social
Legislation. New York: Columbia University Press, 1911. vii,
400 pp. Reprinted 2003 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. ISBN
1-58477-308-1. Cloth. $80.
*
American courts took a keen interest in union and labor issues
during the opening decades of the twentieth century. Lochner v.
New York (1905) and Adair v. U.S. (1908) are among the many
landmark cases argued at this time. Groat offers a valuable
contemporary perspective on these developments. Restricting his
focus to “principles and problems that are still unsettled,” Groat
examines “the political economic and social principles that guide
the courts” (Preface, v). Reprinted from the series Studies in
History, Economics and Public Law edited by the Columbia
University Department of Political Science.
5. Groat, George
Gorham.
Trade Unions and the Law in New York: A Study of Some Legal
Phases of Labor Organizations. New York: Columbia University
Press, 1905. 134 pp. Reprinted 2003 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd.
ISBN 1-58477-309-X. Cloth. $60.
* This
interesting study appeared during the progressive era, a time when
unions were beginning to enjoy public approval and legislative
support. Groat looks at efforts to secure legislation favorable to
the interests of organized labor, and goes on to thoroughly
examine the lawfulness of trade-union activities. Reprinted from
the series Studies in History, Economics and Public Law edited by
the Columbia University Department of Political Science.
6. Highmore,
A[nthony].
A Treatise on the Law of Idiocy and Lunacy. First American from
the Last London Edition. To which is Subjoined an Appendix,
Comprising a Selection of American Cases; in which some Important
Subjects of this Treatise Have Been Investigated and New
Principles Settled. Exeter, N.H.: George Lamson, 1822. x, 194
pp. Reprinted 2003 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. ISBN
1-58477-266-2. Cloth. $70.
*
Anthony Highmore [1758-1829] was an English barrister and legal
writer. A socially progressive individual, active opponent of the
slave trade and a supporter of hospitals and other public
improvements, his commitment to humane values is evident in this
treatise. First published in London in 1807, it was one of the
first studies devoted exclusively to the subject. It deals with
legal definitions of lunacy, the disabilities of lunatics, asylums
and their regulation by statute, the nature of criminal insanity,
and precedents regarding the treatment of lunatics before the law
for various crimes.
7. Shirley, John
M.
The Dartmouth College Causes and the Supreme Court of the United
States. Chicago: G.I. Jones, 1895. 469 pp. Reprinted 2003 by
The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. ISBN 1-58477-337-5. Cloth. $90.
*
Reprint of the first edition. Dartmouth College vs. Woodward
(1816-1819) established significant precedents concerning state
authority and the nature of private enterprise. Dartmouth College
was incorporated under a royal charter in 1769 as a private
corporation. In 1816 the New Hampshire Legislature attempted to
transform the college into a state institution. Daniel Webster,
representing the college trustees, convinced the Supreme Court
that the royal charter was a contract that could not be
invalidated by subsequent state legislation. The court concurred.
Its decision initiated a significant constitutional limitation on
state authority. It also helped to define corporations as
relatively unregulated private economic entity that contributed to
the public sphere through enlightened self-interest. Shirley
offers a vivid account of the case, enriched by extensive
quotation of primary archival sources.
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