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The Most Lavish Edition of The Comic Blackstone
9. A’Beckett, Gilbert Abbott [1811-1856]. A’Beckett, Arthur William
[1844-1909], Editor.
The Comic Blackstone. London: Bradbury, Agnew, & Co., 1887.
xxviii, 324 pp. Complete set of parts, as issued. Ten full-page
color lithograph plates, numerous engravings. Octavo (5-1/2" x
8-1/2"). Contemporary gilt-edged three-quarter morocco over cloth,
gilt-edged raised bands to spine. Front covers from original
wrappers bound at rear of text. Skillfully rebacked, rubbing to
extremities with light wear, a few small scuffs, hinges reinforced.
Offsetting to margins of endleaves, small chip to fore-edge of front
free endpaper. Occasional light toning, interior otherwise fresh. A
very handsome copy. $750.
* “New and revised” edition of this classic parody by the author’s
son. With its color plates and text illustrations by Harry Furniss
it is also the most lavish edition ever published. This copy also
has an unusually elaborate binding. What is more, the binder
preserved the front covers of the original illustrated full-color
wrappers from the original parts and bound them at the rear of the
text block. Eller, The William Blackstone Collection at
Yale Law School
196.  
Scarce 1881 Compilation of Cherokee Laws
10. [Adair, John Lynch, Compiler].
Compiled Laws of the Cherokee Nation. Tahlequah, I[ndian]
T[erritory]: National Advocate Print, 1881. 370, v, [1] pp. Octavo
(5-1/2" x 8-3/4"). Contemporary calf, lettering piece to spine.
Moderate wear to edges and boards, front board carefully reattached,
rear hinge mended. Later bookplate to front pastedown, minor marks
in pencil to a few passages, interior otherwise clean and bright.
Rare. $650.
* This complete compilation of “the laws of the Cherokee Nation now
in force” was published by the Cherokee National Council. These
laws— the 1839 constitution of the Cherokee Nation and the basic
laws passed under it—provided the framework for the government of
the Cherokee Nation from 1839 until the early 1900s, when the
Cherokees’ independence was ended by the United States Congress.
Within scarcely more than a generation, the Cherokees consciously
transformed themselves from a society that lived under an age-old,
unwritten set of norms and traditional cultural practices to one
governed by a written constitution and code of statutes. The
Cherokees made this transformation in the vain hope that it would
make it easier for them to coexist with the United States. They
closely modeled their constitution in most respects on the United
States Constitution, yet there are some fascinating differences
concerning the judiciary and land ownership. This edition includes
the 1839 Cherokee constitution along with amendments, one of which
prohibits slavery, texts of the 1866 treaty between the Cherokee
Nation and the United States, the 1838 Act of Union between the
Eastern and Western Cherokees, numerous laws and acts covering a
variety of subjects from the duties of the principal chief to the
killing of game, agreements between the Cherokees and the Creeks and
Osages, Delawares, and Shawnees and an appendix containing documents
relating to the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation as defined by
agreements with the United States are included in this book. John
Lynch Adair was of mixed Cherokee and Irish ancestry. He served as a
tribal delegate to Washington. OCLC locates two copies. Catalogue
of the Library of the
Harvard Law School
(1909) [HLC] I:372.
See illustration below. 
11. Adams, John [1735-1826].
Statesman and Friend: Correspondence of John Adams with Benjamin
Waterhouse, 1784-1822. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1927.
vi, 178 pp. Cloth very good in worn dust jacket. Ex-library. Small
bookplate to front free endpaper. $30.
* Waterhouse [1754-1846], a friend of Adams, was professor of
Physics at Harvard University. Notable for their wit and wide range
of topics, these letters contain many candid remarks by Adams about
political figures and contemporary events.
12. Andrews, William.
Bygone Punishments. London: William Andrews & Co. [The Hull
Press]. 1899. [vi], 311 pp. Frontispiece. Plates. Octavo (5” x 8”).
Cloth, top edge gilt. Light soiling, internally clean. $45.
* First edition of a well-illustrated work on corporal punishment by
an author known in his day for his entertaining narrative style.
Chapters include “Hanging,” Mutilation,” “Punishing Authors and
Burning Books,” “Beheading.”
Distinguished 1784 Italian Treatise
on Letters of Exchange
13. Baldasseroni, Pompeo [1743-1807].
Leggi e Costumi del Cambio Che si Osservano Nelle Principali
Piazze di Europa e Singolarmente in Quella di Livorno. Pescia:
Nella Stamperia di Gio. Tommaso Masi e Compagni, 1784. xxiii, 471
pp. Quarto (6-3/4" x 9-1/2"). Contemporary quarter calf over marbled
boards, early hand-lettered title to spine. Moderate rubbing with
some wear to spine ends, joints and corners, a few scuffs and
negligible worming to boards, binding slightly cocked, some worming
to pastedowns and front free endpaper, hinges starting, a few
partial cracks to text block. Attractive large copperplate vignette
to title page. Light browning to text, occasional light foxing.
Early owner signature to half-title, interior otherwise clean.
$1,500.
* First edition. Pompeo Baldasseroni was the brother of the
important jurist Ascanio Baldasseroni. From 1784-1787 he worked in
the Ruota Civile e Criminale di Genova. During this period he was
commissioned to draft a code rules for commercial letters of
exchange and foreign exchange. It was eventually approved in 1782.
His work led him to publish the Leggi e Costumi del Cambio.
Based on a deep practical understanding, this popular treatise
established his reputation for its clarity and precision in a sector
that was highly controversial and dependent on custom, much of it
outdated. KVK locates 13 copies of this edition, 30 of all editions.
Kress Library of Economic Literature 12651.
See illustration below. 
1819 Argument for a Federal Bankruptcy Law
14. [Bankruptcy] Civis. [Webster, Daniel (1782-1852)]. [Hopkinson,
Joseph (1770-1842)].
Remarks on the Bankrupt Law; To Which are Added the Proposed
Amendments of Hopkinson and Webster. New York: Published by Haly
and Thomas, 1819. 71 pp. Quarto (6" x 8"). Stab-stitched pamphlet,
untrimmed edges, binding secure. Light foxing and a few creases. A
well-preserved copy of a scarce title. $750.
* Enacted in February 1800 with a slim majority, the first Federal
bankruptcy act aimed to encourage economic risk and supersede the
patchwork of debtor laws in force in the different states. Never a
popular law, it was routinely attacked as a shield for the
financially irresponsible and finally repealed in November 1803.
Claiming this would retard economic development, supporters of the
defeated bill launched a campaign to restore the law or enact a
similar one, which finally happened in the summer of 1841 with an
act sponsored by Webster. This pamphlet appeared when this campaign
was underway. “Civis” explains the value of a bankruptcy act. The
second part is entitled “ A Sketch of the Principal Features of the
Bankrupt Bill Prepared by Messrs. Hopkinson and Webster.” (This bill
was defeated in 1820.) OCLC locates 8 copies. Kress C395.
Cohen, Bibliography of Early American Law 2472.
A Crucial Issue During Jefferson’s Presidency
15. Barton, William [1754-1817].
A Dissertation on the Freedom of Navigation and Maritime
Commerce, and Such Rights of States, Relative Thereto, as Are
Founded On the Law of Nations: Adapted More Particularly to the
United States; and Interspersed with Moral and Political
Reflections, and Historical facts. With An Appendix, Containing
Sundry State Papers.
Philadelphia: John Conrad and Company, 1802. 339, xlv, [3] pp.
Octavo (5" x 8"). Recent period-style quarter calf over cloth, gilt
fillets and lettering piece to spine, endpapers renewed. Some
offsetting to margins of endleaves and preliminaries, occasional
light foxing, interior otherwise fresh. $2,000.
* Only edition. Barton admired Thomas Jefferson and dedicated this
book to him. Jefferson was pleased by this honor: “Accept my best
wishes for the success of your work and assurances of my high esteem
and respect” (Sowerby). One of the earliest works of its kind,
Barton presents an American interpretation of maritime law affecting
freedom of navigation and the rights of neutral merchant vessels
during times of war. Barton uses a broad overview of international
law and treaties of the Washington and Adams administrations to
criticize English interference with American shipping and the
impressment of sailors. This volume offers a contemporary
interpretation of the actions that would lead to the Non-Intercourse
and Embargo Acts (1807, 1809) and, in the following administration,
the War of 1812. OCLC locates 40 copies. Cohen 7447.
16. Bauer, Charles J.
The Odd Couple Who Hanged Mary Surratt. Silver Spring, MD:
Silver Spring Press, 1980. ix, 118 [i.e. 150] pp. Frontispiece with
tipped-in portrait of Surratt. Text illustrations. Original cloth
very good in moderately worn dust jacket. $30.
* First edition. The author believes Senators Jim Lane and Preston
King exerted political pressure to secure the conviction of Mary
Surratt, who was involved with John Wilkes Booth and his fellow
conspirators. He believes Surratt was innocent.
17. Beard, Charles A. [1874-1948].
Economic Origins of Jeffersonian Democracy. New York,
Macmillan Co., 1915. ix, 474 pp. Original cloth with decorative
blind stamping, some shelfwear, internally clean. $35.
* Frist edition of one of the most influential historians of
American history, he is best known for his landmark revisionist
study An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution (1913).
Amusing Woodcuts
18. Belfour-Paul, J., and John Read, Editors.
Ballads of the Bench and Bar or Idle Lays of the Parliament House.
[Edinburgh]: Privately Printed, 1882. 126, [1] pp. Woodcut
frontispiece and illustrations. Quarto (8- 1/4" x 10"). Contemporary
quarter morocco over cloth, gilt insignia to front board, top edge
gilt, deckle fore and bottom edges. Some rubbing with light wear to
extremities, corners bumped. Text printed on fine wide-margined
paper, text ruled in red line borders. A few minor stains and
smudges, interior otherwise fresh. $500.
* From an edition limited to 305 copies, this number 297. Limitation
page signed by editors. This charming volume of amusing legal prose
and poetry illustrated with caricatures contains such entries as
“Boots to His Moribund Moustache,” “The Deans of Faculty,” “A
Successful Career,” “An Elaborate Argument,” “The Ex-Circuiteer’s
Lament, “The Rhyme of the Scottish Jurist,” and “Trux Aper
Insequitar.” The woodcuts are by William Watson after illustrations
by Roger Montgomerie and “E.G.” A note on the limitation page notes
that all the woodcuts were destroyed when the print run was
finished.
Benedict on Admiralty,
Fourth Revised Edition
19. Benedict, Erastus C. [1800-1880]. Benedict, Edward Grenville,
Editor.
The American Admiralty: Its Jurisdiction and Practice, With
Practical Forms and Directions. Albany: Banks and Company, 1910.
xli, 771 pp. Contemporary buckram, lettering piece. Some shelfwear
and soiling, corners bumped, binding slightly cocked, internally
clean. Ex-library. Faint inkstamps to head of spine and edges,
residue from location label to foot. $125.
* Fourth revised edition. At the time of its first publication in
1850 there were other popular treatises on the subject, but the
particular American viewpoint and practicality of this work enabled
it to surpass the others. Now in its seventh edition, it is still
recognized as the leading work on the subject. Benedict, a noted
lawyer and educator, was considered to be “one of the foremost
admiralty lawyers of his day”: Dictionary of American Biography
I:177.
Bentham Criticizes the
Corps of Special Crown Jurors
20. Bentham, Jeremy [1748-1832].
The Elements of the Art of Packing, As 18. Applied to Special
Juries, Particularly in Cases of Libel Law.
London: Published by Effingham Wilson, 1821. [2], vii, [3], 269 pp.
Octavo (5-1/4" x 8-1/4"). Recent period-style quarter calf over
cloth, endpapers renewed. Several unopened signatures. Light toning
to text, interior otherwise fresh. A nice copy. $750.
* First edition. In his Elements of the Art of Packing Bentham
attacked the system of keeping a corps of special jurors who were
employed by the Crown, and were therefore susceptible to Crown
influence. It was in this work that Bentham laid down the principle
that the libel law was incompatible with English liberties. Sweet &
Maxwell, A Legal Bibliography of the
British Commonwealth
2:27. McCoy B 200.
See illustration below. 
Utopian Scheme for a Patriarchal Government
21. [Berington, Simon (1680-1755). Berkeley, George (1685-1753),
Presumed Author].
The Adventures of Sigr. Gaudentio di Lucca. Being the Substance
of His Examination before the Fathers of the Inquisition at
Bologna in Italy: Giving an Account of an Unknown Country in the
Midst of the Deserts of Africa, The Origine and Antiquity of the
People, Their Religion, Customs, Polity, and Laws. Copied From the
Original Manuscript in St. Mark’s Library at Venice. With Critical
Notes of the Learned Signor Rhedi, Sometime Keeper of the Said
Library. To Which is Prefixed, A Letter of the Secretary of the
Inquisition, Shewing the Reasons of Signor Gaudentio’s Being
Apprehended, And the Manner of It. Faithfully Translated From the
Italian.
London: Printed for W. Innys, 1748. xx, 291 pp. Octavo (5" x 8").
Contemporary calf, gilt spine with raised bands, gilt double rules
to boards. Moderate rubbing with wear to spine ends and corners,
boards partially detached but secure. Offsetting to margins of
endleaves. Early and later annotations to front board, small later
owner signature to title page, interior otherwise clean. $650.
* Second edition. First published in 1737, this utopian novel
relates the travels of a prisoner of the inquisition named Gaudentio
de Lucca to the country of Mezzorania in Africa, a patriarchal
(and socialistic) society where competition and egoism are banned
and all enjoy equal property and a spirit of community. Written
by a Catholic priest, the novel was originally attributed to George
Berkeley. A popular work, it went through several editions and
was translated into French and German. “This admirable work is
partly a romance and partly a scheme of patriarchal government:
the incidents are well contrived and most agreeably related.”:
Lowndes, Bibliographer’s Manual of English Literature
868 (citing an earlier edition). OCLC locates 16 copies of this
edition. Goldsmiths’ Library of Economic Literature 8370.
See illustration below. 
Black’s Law Dictionary,
Fourth Edition
22. Black, Henry Campbell [1860-1927].
Black’s Law Dictionary: Definitions of the Terms and Phrases of
American and English Jurisprudence, Ancient and Modern. Fourth
Edition by the Publisher’s Editorial Staff. St. Paul: West
Publishing Co., 1951. xi, 1882 pp. Original gilt-stamped cloth, some
shelfwear. Owner stamp and inscription to front pastedown, interior
otherwise clean. A nice copy. $150.
* With a table of British regnal years and an index of
abbreviations.
Black on Bankruptcy
23. Black, Henry Campbell [1860-1927].
A Treatise on the Law and Practice of Bankruptcy Under The Act of
Congress of 1898 and its Amendments. Kansas City: Vernon Law
Book Company, 1922. xxiii, 1840 pp. Original buckram, red and black
lettering pieces. Moderate shelfwear and soiling, internally clean.
$350.
* Third edition. More convenient than the extensive contemporary
works of Collier or Remington, Black’s handy treatise, which uses
the format of a West Hornbook, offers a compact summary of the law
as it stood in the early 1920s. Though its size led some to suspect
it was superficial, it was generally well-received and did much to
popularize the field. As one reviewer wrote, “[i]t is to be hoped
[this book] marks the beginning of a new period in bankruptcy law
that will witness its welcoming into the repertoire of the lawyer as
one of the regular devices for regulating business relations.”:
Nathan Isaacs, University of Pennsylvania Law Review 73
(1924-1925) 120. OCLC locates 71 copies.
24. Bodenheimer, Edgar.
Jurisprudence: The Philosophy and Method of the Law. Revised
Edition. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1967. xiv, 402 pp.
Cloth very good in moderately worn and lightly soiled dust jacket.
Owner stamp and bookplate to front pastedown, interior otherwise
clean. $20.
25. Bonfield, Lloyd.
Marriage Settlements, 1601-1740. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, [1983]. xviii, 136 pp. Cloth very good in lightly
worn and soiled dust jacket, binding slightly cocked. Author
inscription to front free endpaper, internally clean. $85.
* An important contribution to the history of family law, Bonfield’s
fascinating study examines the role of property arrangements and
their role in the process of familial wealth transmission among the
landed classes.
Second Edition of Bouvier’s Law Dictionary
26. 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 Foreign
Law. Philadelphia: T. & J.W. Johnson, Law Booksellers, 1843. Two
volumes. Octavo (5-1/2" x 9"). Recent period-style quarter calf over
cloth, raised bands and lettering pieces to spine, endpapers
renewed. Occasional light toning, minor tears to edges of a few
leaves with no loss to text. Early owner signature to head of each
title page, interiors otherwise clean. A scarce edition. $1,500.
* Second edition. In this edition Bouvier revised about half of his
entries and added a thousand new ones. He also incorporated numerous
local references, which were compiled through an extensive
correspondence with members of all but one of the state bars. The
second volume concludes with two appendices. The first is a list of
English Chancery, Common Law and Ecclesiastical Reports and an list
of the titles published by The Law Library (First, Second and
Third Series). The second is a reprint of Robert Kelham’s A
Dictionary of the Norman or Old French Language. OCLC locates 15
copies of this edition. Cohen 5433.
27. Bradley, Howard A., and James A. Winans.
Daniel Webster and the
Salem Murder.
Columbia, Missouri: Artcraft Press, 1956. 230 pp. Plates. Original
cloth, some shelfwear, internally clean. $45.
* “This is the story of a famous murder...and of the trials of
John Francis Knapp and of Joseph Jenkins Knapp. It is also the story
of the part Daniel Webster played in those trials. His summation in
one of those trials is thought by some to be the greatest ever
delivered in America.”: Introduction [9].
1756 French Treatise with
Suggestions for Judicial Reform
28. Bretonnier, Barthelemy Joseph [1656-1721]. [Boucher d’Argis,
Antoine Gaspard (1708-1791), Editor].
Recueil Par Ordre Alphabetique, Des Prinipales Questions de Droit,
Qui se Jugent Diversement Dans les Differens Tribunaux du Royaume.
Avec des Reflexions pour Concilier la Diversite de la Jurisprudence,
& la Rendre Uniforme dans Tous les Tribunaux. Augmentee de Nouvelles
Notes & Additions. Paris: Chez Prault, 1756. Two volumes. 12mo.
(3-3/4" x 6-1/2"). Contemporary calf with cat’s-paw decoration, gilt
spines with lettering pieces, edges rouged, marbled endpapers.
Moderate rubbing with some wear to extremities, some chipping to
spine ends, front joints cracked but secure, hinges cracked or
starting. Later owner signatures and annotations to preliminaries
and rear endleaves. Offsetting to endleaves, light toning to text,
light foxing in a few places, interiors mostly fresh. A nice copy of
an uncommon title. $400.
* Third edition. Organized alphabetically, this guide to French law
and judicial administration is a curious hybrid of encyclopedia,
treatise and reform tract. As the title indicates, it outlines
different jurisdictions in order to advance an argument for a
comprehensive uniform court system. First published in 1718, it went
through five editions, the final appearing in 1783. Bretonnier was
an avocat of the Paris Parlement. d’Argis, a Parisian
jurist and legal writer, edited several editions of Ferriere’s
Dictionnaire de Droit et de Pratique. KVK locates 10 copies.
This edition not in the British Museum Catalogue [BMC].
OCLC locates 3 copies.
1713 Scottish Treatise on Feudal Law
29. Bruce, Alexander [d. 1729].
Principia Juris Feudalis, Institutionum Imperialium Methodo
(Quantum Materiae Feudalis Ratio Patitur) Disposita. Accedunt Notae
& Observationes Practicae, ad Mores Patrios Tam Antiquos Quam
Hodiernos, Singulis Titulis Annexae. Edinburgh: Apud Robertum
Freebairn, 1713. [viii], xix, [4], 352 pp. 12mo. (4" x 6").
Contemporary paneled calf, raised bands and lettering piece to
spine. Rubbing with some wear to joints and spine ends, boards
slightly bowed, corners bumped and somewhat worn, hinges cracked but
secure. Early signatures and armorial bookplate to front pastedown,
bookplate of Robert Maxtone Graham to front free endpaper.
Offsetting to margins of endleaves, title page and text notably
fresh. A well-preserved copy. $600.
* Only edition. A fascinating summary of feudal law in the manner of
Justinian’s Institutes. Robert Maxtone Graham was a notable
Scottish book collector. OCLC locates 9 copies. Sweet & Maxwell,
5:16.
1714 Scottish Treatise on the
Law of Guardian and Ward
30. Bruce, Alexander [d. 1729].
The Tutor’s Guide: Or, the Principles of the Civil and Municipal
Laws and Customs, Relating to Pupils and Minors, and Their Tutors
and Curators. Laid Down in An Easy and Natural Method, In Three
Parts, Viz. I. Of Tutors. II. Of Curators.
III. Of Things Common to Both.
Edinburgh: Printed by Robert Freebairn, 1714. [vi], x, 445, [3] pp.
Octavo (4-3/4" x 7-1/2"). Contemporary calf, blind rules to boards,
gilt-edged raised bands and lettering piece to spine. Light rubbing
to boards, moderate wear to extremities. Early armorial bookplate
and initials in ink to front pastedown, later bookplate of Robert
Maxtone Graham to front free endpaper. Title page printed in red and
black. Offsetting to margins of endleaves, interior otherwise fresh.
A well-preserved copy of an uncommon title. $650.
* Only edition. This treatise on the law of guardian and ward is
notable for its insights into the treatment of children in early
eighteenth century Scots law, as well as its reception of one of the
most widely studied areas of Roman law. “In observing the Laws and
Customs of Scotland, I have always made some Reflections on what has
gone before in the Title, and that in the same Order as it there
lies; and compared our Law with that of the Romans, so as not to
pass over such Remarks as serve to illustrate our Customs, some
whereof (as taking their Rise from the Feudal Law) are not so much
contrary to, as collateral with the Civil Law. (...) There is also a
little Digression made, in its proper Place, touching the Duties
incumbent on all who manage other Men’s Fortunes, (especially
Factors upon Bankrupt Estates,) the Knowledge whereeof being almost
as universally usefull, as that which is the main subject of this
discourse.”: Preface viii, ix. Robert Maxtone Graham was a notable
Scottish book collector. OCLC locates 11 copies. Sweet & Maxwell,
5:16.
See illustration below. 
“Drawn From State Papers and
the Most Authentic Sources”
31. Campbell, Hugh.
The Case of Mary Queen of Scots, and of Elizabeth Queen of
England, Legally, Briefly, and Historically Stated: Embracing the
Amorous Life of the Virgin Queen, and Identifying Her with All the
Plans that led to Mary’s Ruin and Murder. With an Account of the
Last Moments of Mary, Her Letter to Elizabeth, and Davison’s Apology
About the Death-Warrant: The Whole Drawn from State Papers, and the
Most Authentic Sources. London: Printed for Sherwood, Jones, and
Co., 1825. xxiii, 391 pp. Lithographed portrait frontispiece. Octavo
(5-1/2" x 8-3/4"). Original quarter cloth over paper boards, paper
spine label, untrimmed edges. Moderate rubbing with some wear to
extremities, front joint just starting at ends, a few minor stains
to boards, corners bumped. Offsetting from frontispiece to title
page, occasional light foxing, interior otherwise clean. $500.
* Only edition. “I Promised in ‘The Love Letters to Bothwell’ to
prove that Elizabeth was unkind, cruel, and unmerciful to Mary; and
in this volume I Redeem my pledge. (...) In this Work I have
selected proofs from a host of Authors, that Elizabeth was either
directly in person, or indirectly through her Ambassadors, the
primum mobile of all the intrigues, plots, and plans, which led
to involve Mary, first in difficulties, then in dangers, and,
subsequently, in ruin.”: Preface v-vi. OCLC locates 39 copies.
British Museum Catalogue
(Compact Edition) 4:1081.
Carpzov’s Important Treatise on Saxon Criminal Law
32. Carpzov, Benedikt [1595-1666].
Practicae Novae Imperialis Saxonicae Rerum Criminalium, Quae
Quaestionum Fere Universarum in Materia Cujusque Generis
Homicidiorum, Fractae Pacis Publicae, Laesae Majestatis, Tam Humanae,
Quam Divinae, Falsification Monetarum, Blasphemiarum, Perjurii et
Sortilegiorum, Ex Jure Civili Romano, Imperiali, Saxonico,
Ordinationibus et Constitutionibus Electoralibus, Decisiones
Absolutas, Responsis Scabinorum Lipsiensium Approbatas, et Usu ac
Observantia Fori Saxonici Confirmatas Exhibet. Editio Novissima, A
Multis Mendis, Quibus Priores Editiones Scatebant, Vindicata, et
Indice Quaestionum, ut et Rerum ac Verborum Instructa. Leipzig:
Apud Johannem Fridericum Gleditschium, 1739. Three parts in one,
each with title page and individual pagination. Main texts printed
in double columns. Folio (8-1/4" x 13-1/4"). Contemporary calf, gilt
spine, corners mended. Moderate rubbing, some scuffing and edgewear,
boards partially detached but secure, crack between half-title and
title page mended. Chipping and wear to edges of preliminaries with
minor loss to text. Light foxing, occasional light browning. Tiny
inkspots and spark burns to a few leaves, interior otherwise clean.
A solid copy of an uncommon edition. $750.
* Later edition. With indexes. Considered to be the founder of
German legal science, Carpzov did much to systematize German law,
and his work did much to secure a wide recognition of German law and
custom. First published in 1635, his magisterial Practicae Novae
Imperialis Saxonicae Rerum Criminalium is a treatise on Saxon
criminal law. The first systematic study of its kind, it had a
profound influence on the development of criminal law in the Holy
Roman Empire. KVK locates 10 copies of this edition, 99 of all
editions. Stintzing/Landesberg, Geschichte der Deutschen
Rechtswissenschaft II:69.
A Desirable Copy of
the Influential Criminal Code of Charles V.
33. Charles V.
Peynlich Gerichtsordnung Auff den Reichsstagen zu Augspurg und
Regenspurg in Jahren XXX. und XXIJ. Gehalten. Munster: Gebruckt
bey Lambert Rassfeldt, 1617. [viii], 55 pp.
[Bound with]
[Munster].
Reformation dess Heimlichen Gerichts und der Heimlichen Achte wie
und Welcher Massen zu Hinzufurter Dieselbige nach Altem Gesatz und
Herkommen Ordentlich Gehalten unnd Freygrassen und Scheffen Gemacht
Werden Sollen durch Etwan Hochloblicher und Milter Gedachtnitz Herrn
Sigismunden Romischen Konig Confirmirt und Bestettigt. [Section
extracted from unknown volume] 103-119 pp. Folio (7-1/2" x
12"). Recent linen. Large woodcut title-page device (the insignia of
Charles V). Light browning to text, faint dampstaining to title page
and elsewhere. A nice copy of an uncommon title. $1,200.
* With table. The Constitutio Carolina Criminalis was one of
the most influential legal codes in German history. Written in 1533
and adopted that year at the Diet of Regensburg, it was based on
Roman law, Italian scholarship on Roman law, the criminal code of
Brandenburg-Franconia (1516) and the two criminal codes prepared by
Maximilian I for Tyrol (1499) and Radolfzell (1506). Essentially a
code of criminal procedure, it dominated that area of German law for
two centuries and served as the model for the codes of several local
codes throughout the Holy Roman Empire. The second title in this
volume appears to be a complete section extracted from a larger
volume. It contains a collection of recently-enacted amendments to
statutes of the city of Munster. KVK locates 3 copies of this
edition, which is not listed in the British Museum Catalogue
(first work).
34. Chin, Gabriel J., Editor.
United States Commission on Civil Rights: Reports on the Police.
Buffalo: W.S. Hein, 2005. 3 Vols. Cloth. New. $325.
* This set details the Commission’s examination of alleged police
misconduct, from hearings in Jackson, Mississippi, in February,
1965, to Revisiting Who Is Guarding the Guardians? A Report on
Police Practices and Civil Rights in America, in November, 2000.
Charged for nearly 50 years with investigating and reporting facts,
and formulating policy recommendations to ensure the protection of
citizen rights, the U. S. Commission on Civil Rights has had a
unique opportunity to chronicle issues facing our nation and has
done so with distinction. A primary area to come under the
Commission’s microscope has been police protection. Investigations
on police matters by the esteemed panel, created by an act of
Congress in 1957, have focused on complaints alleging abuse of
power, misconduct and unfair practices in hiring and promotion
stemming from discrimination. Early reports chronicle a history of
violence against African Americans, particularly when they tried to
exercise their civil rights, including the right to vote. Not only
did authorities sometimes fail to prevent or investigate unlawful
violence, sometimes the police, prosecutors, and other government
agencies used their power to intimidate civil rights workers. The
Commission urged Congress to facilitate criminal and civil judicial
remedies for these violations, and also urged the president to act.
Subsequent hearings centered on claims of abuse by the FBI on Indian
Reservations, racial and economic unrest and community-police
relations at cities throughout the U.S.
Scarce 1925 English/French/Chinese
International Law Dictionary
35. [China]. Wai Jiao Bu, Editor.
Dictionary of Words and Phrases of International Law and
Diplomacy in English and French With Chinese Translations.
[Peking: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 1925]. 241, 41, 46, 2 pp. Main
text printed in triple columns. Original cloth, gilt titles to front
board and spine. Worn. Moderate rubbing, a few stains to boards,
backstrip scuffed and chipped, corners bumped and somewhat worn,
hinges mended, text block recased. Occasional underlining and a few
ink smudges, interior otherwise clean. Scarce. $600.
* Only edition. With index. Also containing a collection of sample
forms, this dictionary was intended for diplomats, international
lawyers and businessmen. KVK locates 16 copies.
See illustration below. 
Popular Treatise on Selected Topics in Roman Law
36. Clari, Iulii (Claro, Giulio) [1525-1575]. [Fichardus, Joannes,
Editor].
Opera Omnia: Quae Quidem Hactenus per Auctorem in Lucem Edita
Sunt: Nunc Denuo Recens et Multo Quam Antehac Unquam, Collatis
Omnibus Diversarum Editionum Exemplaribus, Recusa. Quorum Catalogum
Proxima Post Praesationem Pagina Monstrabit. Cum Summariis & Indice
Locupletissimo. Frankfurt: Ex Officina Nicolai Bassaei, 1582.
Two volumes in one, each with title page. Folio (9" x 13").
Contemporary half pigskin over blackened manuscript vellum, blind
rules to boards, raised bands and hand-lettered title to spine, ties
lacking. Moderate rubbing with some wear and chipping to corners,
spine ends bumped, small scuff near head of spine.
Eighteenth-century armorial bookplate to front pastedown, later
bookplate of Robert Maxtone Graham to front free endpaper, letter
from the Scottish National Library to Graham discussing the binding
of this work tipped-in to rear pastedown. Title page of first volume
printed in red and black, large woodcut printer devices, head
pieces, tail pieces, and decorated initials, large woodcut vignette
at head of the first chapters of Volume I and II. Some soiling to
the title page of Volume I, interior otherwise fresh. A very
appealing copy. $1,500.
* With indexes. First published in 1576, this popular work on wills,
gifts, feudal writs, usury and other topics in Roman criminal and
civil law went through numerous editions throughout Europe well into
the eighteenth century. Claro was a Milanese jurist. Robert Maxtone
Graham was a notable Scottish book collector. This edition not in
Adams.
British Museum Catalogue
(Compact Edition) 5:950.
See illustration below. 
Classic Illustrated 16th Century
Treatise on Criminal Law
37. 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 woodcuts
in text, all but 2 or 3 of which illustrate criminal acts including
two views 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.
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 Burgandy and a prolific author of legal
and religious treatises. See illustration below.
38. Darrow, Clarence. Joshi, S.T., Editor.
Closing Arguments: Clarence Darrow on Religion, Law, and Society.
Athens: Ohio University Press, [2005]. xxi, 268 pp. Cloth in dust
jacket. New. $39.95
* Closing Arguments: Clarence Darrow on Religion, Law, and Society
collects, for the first time, Darrow’s thoughts on his three main
preoccupations, revealing a carefully conceived philosophy expressed
with delightful pungency and clarity. His thoughts on social issues,
especially on the dangers of religious fundamentalism, are uncannily
prescient. A dry humor infuses his essays, and his reflections on
himself and his philosophy reveal a quiet dignity at the core of a
man better known for provoking Americans during an era of
unprecedented tumult.
39. Darrow, Clarence, and William J. Bryan .
The World’s Most Famous Court Trial: Tennessee Evolution Case. A
Complete Stenographic Report of the Famous Court Test of the
Anti-Evolution Act, at Dayton July 10 to 21, 1925, Including
Speeches and Arguments of Attorneys.
Cincinnati: National Book Company, [1925]. [4], 339 pp. Reprinted
1997 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. ISBN 1-886363-31-5. Cloth. New.
$75.
* Complete transcript of the celebrated “monkey trial,” the case of
the State of Tennessee vs. John Thomas Scopes, a 24-year old high
school teacher accused of violating a recently enacted state law
that banned the teaching of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.
Perhaps the first modern media event, the trial attracted enormous
national and international attention. A star-studded cast of trial
attorneys included the great orator and three time Democratic
presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan [1860-1925] and the
brilliant trial lawyer and champion of the downtrodden, Clarence
Darrow, among others. The climax of the trial came on the seventh
day when the defense put the senior Bryan on the stand as an expert
on the Bible and he was ruthlessly interrogated by Darrow. As a
milestone in the American struggle between modernity and the forces
of Protestant fundamentalism, and a vivid manifestation of the clash
between two valid principles, academic freedom and democratic
control of the public schools, the Scopes case has tremendous
historical significance. This edition also includes statements by
scientists entered at the defense’s request, and the text of a
lengthy concluding speech that Bryan prepared but never delivered.
Popular Introduction to Kent
40. Devereux, John C.
The Most Material Parts of
Kent’s Commentaries, Reduced to Questions and Answers.
New Edition. New York: Baker, Voorhis & Co., 1873. viii, 418 pp.
Octavo (6" x 9"). Contemporary buckram, calf lettering piece. Some
shelfwear, corners bumped and somewhat worn. Toning to text,
spotting and offsetting from bookmarks to a few leaves, a few
partial cracks to binding. Owner signature to front pastedown,
interior otherwise clean. A sound copy of a scarce edition. $250.
* Later edition of a popular introductory digest of Kent that went
through numerous editions during the nineteenth century. The first
edition, by Asa Kinne, was published in 1839. Well-organized and
clearly written, it remains a useful supplement. OCLC locates 7
copies of this edition, 91 of all editions. Marke, A Catalogue of
the Law Collection at
New York University
(1953) 249.
Dillon on Municipal Corporations
41. Dillon, John F.
Commentaries on the Law of Municipal Corporations. Thoroughly
Revised and Enlarged. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1890.
Later library buckram, black-stamped titles to spine, endpapers
renewed. Negligible shelfwear and soiling. Clean tear to to
fore-edge of a leaf, interior otherwise pristine. $250.
* Fourth edition. The second half of the nineteenth century
witnessed an era of unparalleled urban growth that compelled cities
to seek ways to finance expansion without accumulating unmanageable
levels of debt. The corporate form emerged as the most suitable
vehicle, and Dillon on Municipal Corporations, which was
first published in 1872, was the first book to outline its legal
principles. Vanderbilt and Pound put it in their lists of great
textbooks. Warren says it was of “prime importance” and a “legal
classic.” Vanderbilt, Men and Books Famous in the Law 21.
Pound, The Formative Era of American Law 141. Warren, A
History of the American Bar 551. Catalogue of the Library of
the
Harvard Law School
(1909) I:554.
42. [Douglas, D.].
The Biographical History of Sir William Blackstone, and a
Catalogue of All Sir William Blackstone’s Works, Manuscript as Well
as Printed, with a Nomenclature of Westminster Hall. The Whole
Illustrated with Notes, Observations, and References. Also, A
Preface and Index to each Part. By a Gentleman of
Lincoln’s Inn.
London: Printed for the Author, 1782. Reprint. New York: Augustus M.
Kelley, 1971. Various paginations. Cloth. New. $38.50
* Based on Clitherow’s biographical preface from the Reports,
which was also included in several edition of the Commentaries,
this is the first independent biography of Blackstone. Reprint of
Eller 252.
43. Drew, Katherine Fischer, Translator.
The Burgundian Code: Book of Constitutions or Law of Gundobad,
Additional Enactments. Foreword by Edward Peters. Philadelphia:
University of Pennsylvania Press, [1972]. xv, 106, [2] pp. Cloth
very good in moderately worn dust jacket. Small owner stamp to verso
of title page, interior otherwise clean. $30.
44. Drinker, Henry S.
Legal Ethics. New York: Columbia University Press, [1953].
xxii, 448 pp. Original cloth, some shelfwear, crack between front
free endpaper and half-title. Gift insciption to verso of front free
endpaper, interior otherwise clean. $20.
* Drinker was the Chairman of the American Bar Association’s
Standing Committee on Professional Ethics and Grievances. Legal
Ethics offers a thorough discussion of disciplinary procedure
and sanctions of professional conduct, the grounds for disciplining
lawyers and the rights of disciplined lawyers. Other chapters
address with lawyer-client relations and lawyers’ advertising and
solicitation.
An Important Early Defense of American Rights
45. Dummer, Jeremiah [1681-1739].
A Defence of the New-England Charters. Boston: Re-Printed by
B. Green and Comp. for D. Gookin, 1745. [iv], 43 pp. Quarto (4-1/2"
x 7-1/2"). Stab-stitched pamphlet bound into recent three quarter
cloth binding with marbled boards, endpapers renewed. Charming
woodcut head-pieces, tail-pieces and decorated initials. Margins
closely trimmed, minor loss to head of dedication leaf. Later repair
to corner of final leaf. Interior remarkably fresh. An appealing
copy of a scarce title. $2,500.
* First American edition. The Board of Trade oversaw the American
colonies for the British Parliament. Claiming that the New England
colonists were failing to defend themselves from the French Canadians,
the board attempted to revoke their charters and assert direct
control. According to the board, they were entitled to do this
because the charters required the colonists to defend themselves.
Since these charters established the governments and freedoms
enjoyed by the New Englanders, they saw this move as a direct
assault on their liberties. Dummer, an attorney by training, was
Connecticut’s agent in London. First published in London in 1721,
when Parliament was considering the Board’s claims, his Defense
of the New-England Charters was the most important colonial
response, and an important early defense of American rights against
Parliamentary encroachment. Ill health prevented Dummer from pursuing
the colonial cause, but it was taken up successfully by Massachusetts
Governor Jonathan Belcher [1682-1757] and others. OCLC locates
27 copies of this edition. Sabin, A Dictionary of Books Relating
to America 21197. Cohen 6521. See
illustration below.
Defense of American Rights
Reprinted at Time of Stamp Act
46. Dummer, Jeremiah.
A Defence of the New-England Charters. London: Printed for J.
Almon, [1765]. 88pp. Octavo (5" x 7-3/4"). Stab-stitched pamphlet
bound into recent period-style quarter calf over marbled boards,
raised bands and lettering piece to spine, endpapers. Some toning to
title page, light browning to verso of final life, interior notably
fresh. $500.
* Reissue of the first edition, published the same year in Boston.
This reissue was probably inspired by the recently enacted Stamp
Act. Indeed, the verso of the title page contains a publisher list
with a title denouncing the act and two titles defending the rights
of the colonists. OCLC locates 49 copies of this edition. Sabin
21197.
47. Dummer, Jeremiah [1681-1739].
A Defence of the New-England Charters. London: Printed by W.
Wilkins, 1721. Reprint. New York: Arno Press, 1972. [xii], 80, [5].
Original cloth, light shelfwear, internally clean. $95.
* Reprint of the first edition.
48. Durfee, Job [1790-1847]. [Durfee, Thomas (1826-1901), Editor].
The Complete Works of the Hon. Job Durfee, LL.D., Late Chief
Justice of
Rhode Island; With a Memoir of the Author. Edited by His Son.
Providence: Gladding & Proud, 1849. xxvi, 523 pp. Octavo (5-3/4" x
9"). Original moire cloth with decorative blind stamping, gilt
titles to spine. Light rubbing to boards, some chipping to spine
ends, corners bumped and lightly worn. One leaf partially detached,
interior otherwise fresh. $50.
* Only edition. Durfee, a Rhode Islander, served in the U.S. House
of Representatives, was Speaker of the Rhode Island House and
Chief Justice of the Rose Island Supreme Court. He is best known
as the judge who presided over the trial of the leaders of the
Dorr Rebellion, an armed insurrection in Rhode Island in 1841
and 1842. Led by Thomas Wilson Dorr, his group fought to modify
the state electoral system to expand suffrage to men who did not
own real estate. OCLC locates 44 copies. Cohen 2254.
Praised by James Kent
49. Emerigon, Balthazard Marie [1716-1785]. [Meredith, Samuel,
Translator and Editor].
A Treatise on Insurances. Translated from the French with an
Introduction and Notes. London: Henry Butterworth, 1850. lxxviii,
728 pp. Octavo (6" x 9-1/2"). Recent period-style quarter calf over
cloth, raised bands and lettering piece to spine, endpapers renewed,
interior notably fresh. $750.
* Originally published in 1783, Emerigon’s learned treatise was
praised by James Kent, who said it “very far” surpassed “all
preceding works in the extent, value, and practical application of
his principles. It is the most didactic, learned, and finished
product extant on the subject. (...) In the language of Lord
Tenterdon, no subject in Emerigon is discussed without being
exhausted, and the eulogy is as just as it is splendid.” Meredith’s
able translation is complemented by a brief biography of the author
and a chronology of the book’s compilation. Emerigon was the leading
French authority on commercial law during the eighteenth and early
nineteenth centuries. His work was held in the highest regard by
English and American jurists. OCLC locates 38 copies of this
edition. Kent, Commentaries on American Law 359 cited in
Marvin, Legal Bibliography (1847) 293. Sweet & Maxwell 2:111.
50. Epstein, Louis M.
The Jewish Marriage Contract: A Study in the Status of the Woman
in Jewish Law. New York: Jewish Theological Seminary, 1927.
xvii, 316 pp. Reprinted 2005 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd.
1-58477-464-9. Cloth. $85.
* A cogent and compelling examination of the history and
significance of the Jewish marriage contract, the Ketubah, with
extensive notes in Hebrew and English. This work will interest those
concerned with property rights, family, divorce, and the evolution
of betrothal and marriage.
Defense of the Admiralty Courts
51. Exton, John [c1600?-1668].
The Maritime Dicaeologie; Or, Sea-Jurisdiction of England. In Three
Books. The First Setting Forth the Antiquity of the Admiralty in
England. The Second Proving the Ports, Havens, and Creeks of the Sea
to be Within the Jurisdiction of the Admiralty. The third shewing
that All Contracts Concerning Maritime Affairs are Within the
Jurisdiction of the Admiralty, and There Cognoscible.
London: Printed for C. Davis, 1746. xvi, 404 pp. Octavo (4-3/4" x
7-3/4"). Recent period-style quarter calf over cloth with lettering
piece, endpapers renewed, edges rouged. Interior notably clean and
fresh. A handsome copy. $750.
* First published in 1664, this book, though ostensibly descriptive,
was written chiefly to maintain the jurisdiction of the Admiralty
court in the new government. Beyond its political interest, it
offers a detailed analysis of seventeenth-century maritime law and
admiralty jurisdiction by at the time when Great Britain was
emerging as a major maritime and colonial power. Exton was educated
at Cambridge, earning the LL.D. in Civil Law in 1634. He was
appointed President of the High Court of Admiralty by Parliament in
1649, and was reappointed by the Duke of York after the Restoration.
Sweet & Maxwell 1:351 (15)
Revised Edition of Farrand’s
Records of the Federal Convention
52. Farrand, Max, Editor.
The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787. New Haven:
Yale University Press, 1937. Four volumes. Large octavo. Original
starched buckram, some shelfwear and soiling. Minor tears to edges
of two leaves in Volume III, interiors otherwise fresh. $600.
* Revised edition. “[A] convenient and painstaking view of the
various contemporaneous accounts of the proceedings of the Federal
Convention.... [This set is] indispensable to anyone who is
searching at first hand for any fact as to the transactions of the
Federal Convention”: Harvard Law Review 25:198-199. Review of
the first edition cited in Marke 381-382.
See illustration below.
53. Farrand, Max, Editor.
The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787. New Haven:
Yale University Press, [1966]. Four volumes. Cloth very good in
moderately soiled dust jackets. $450.
* Reissue of the revised edition (1937).
Uncommon Treatise on Suretyship and Guaranty
54. Fell, Walter William. [Walker, Charles].
A Treatise on the Law of Mercantile Guarantees, and of Principal
and Surety in General. With Notes and References to American
Decisions by Charles Walker, Of the New-York Bar. New-York:
Printed by George Lamson, 1825. viii, 435 pp. Octavo (4-3/4" x 8").
Contemporary sheep, blind fillets to boards, blind fillets and
lettering piece to spine. Some rubbing with light wear to
extremities, a few scuffs to boards, corners bumped. Toning to
portions of text, occasional light foxing. A well-preserved copy of
an uncommon title. $600.
* First American edition, from the Second and final English edition,
1820. (The first English edition was published in 1811.) “The author
explains that the large extension of the custom of giving credit in
mercantile transactions had brought into prominence the question of
the securities to be by those to whom was given, so that the law of
suretyship had become of much greater importance. Section 4 of the
Statute of Frauds is discussed at some length; and it appears that
the case of Wain v. Warlters, which decided that a note or
memorandum of a promise to answer for the debt or default of another
was defective if it did not include the consideration for the
promise, had overturned some generally held views as to the
conditions which a note or memorandum in writing of a contract of
suretyship must satisfy.”: Holdsworth, A History of English Law
[HEL] XIII:494. OCLC locates 40 copies of this edition. Cohen
2410.
A Rare 1747 Treatise on
the Laws of Spain and Valencia
55. Fernandez de Mesa y Moreno, Tomas Manuel [d. 1772].
Arte Historica y Legal, de Conocer la Fuerza, y Uso Los Drechos
Nacional, y Romano en Espana. Y de Interpretar Aquel por Este, y Por
el Proprio Origen Dos Tratados Utilissimos, Assi Para los Theoricos,
Como Para los Practicos del Drecho Espanol, Pues en Ellos se Incluye
la Historia de Dichos Drechos en Esta Monarquia; y Principios
Legales, Conducentes Para Formar Estas Artes, y se Reduce Todo a
Reglas Ciertas. Tratase ak Fin de el Regimen de Este Reyno de
Valencia, y Por el de Espana. De los Decretos Reales de Este Assunto,
que no Vieron la Luz Publica; y de los Estilos q Observamos; y Danse
Canones Seguros Para Saber los Que se Deven Observar en Cada
Tribunal, Evitando la Gran Consusion Que Hasta Aora Ha Avido en la
Practica. Valencia: En la Impr. de la Viuda de Geronimo Conejos,
1747. [xxxii], 172, 212 pp. Octavo (6" x 8"). Contemporary limp
vellum, early hand-lettered title to spine, goatskin ties (one
lacking). Light soiling, some dampstaining and a few inkspots, small
chip to head of spine, hinges partially cracked but secure, partial
crack between pp. 82 and 83. Charming woodcut head-pieces,
tail-pieces and decorated initials. Occasional faint dampstaining,
minor worming to a few leaves. Small early signature to title page,
a few minor inkstains, interior otherwise fresh. A nice copy of a
rare volume. $750.
* First edition. With index. A general guide for the legal novice,
this book offers a fascinating overview of the legal systems of
Spain and Valencia as they were in the mid-eighteenth century. Their
organization, history and relation to Roman law is treated in the
first part; the second treats judicial administration and
jurisprudence. A second edition was published in 1808. KVK locates 1
copy of this edition, 4 copies of all editions. Not in the
BMC. See illustration below.
56. Ferriere, Claude Joseph de [c.1680-c.1748]. [Beaver, John
(f.1724), Translator]. [Duck, Sir Arthur (1580-1648)].
The History of the Roman or Civil Law. Shewing Its Origin and
Progress; How, and When the Several parts of It Were First Compil’d;
With Some Account of the Principal Writers and Commentators
Thereupon; And the Method to be Observ’d in Studying the Same.
Written Originally in French. To Which is Added, Dr. Duck’s Treatise
on the Use and Authority of the Civil Law in
England.
[With]
The History of the Origine of the French Laws, Translated from the
French by J.B. Esq., With a Preface and Notes Shewing, the Analogy
of the Laws of the Antient Gauls and Britons.
London: Printed for D. Browne, 1724. [xii], iv, [2], 169, xxxviii,
[8], vii, 105, 7 pp. Octavo (4-3/4" x 7-3/4"). Recent period-style
quarter calf over cloth, raised bands and lettering piece to spine,
endpapers renewed. Attractive woodcut head-pieces, tail-pieces and
decorated initials. Some offsetting to margins, interior otherwise
fresh. An attractive copy. $750.
* Only edition. Through the influence of Doctors’ Commons and the
universities the civilians played an important role in the
development of English law, especially in the fields of commercial,
estate and admiralty law. Despite its value, study of the civil law
had entered a moribund phase by the eighteenth century. Several
student handbooks attempted to correct this deficiency, and Beaver’s
translation of Ferriere’s treatise is among the best. Accompanied by
Duck’s learned essay that connects the civil law to the common law,
the work is among the first in English to establish the confluence
of these legal traditions. Also included is Beaver’s translation of
The History of the Origine of the French Laws, Translated from
the French by J.B. Esq., Shewing, the Analogy of the Laws of the
Antient Gauls and Britons. First published anonymously in 1703,
it has been attributed to Ferriere, Gabriel Argou and Claude Fleury.
Ferriere was a well known French jurisconsult, dean of the Faculty
of Law in Paris and the author of legal treatises and an important
legal dictionary. OCLC locates 43 copies. Sweet & Maxwell 5:133.
57. Ferriere, Claude Joseph de. [Beaver, John, Translator]. [Duck,
Sir Arthur].
The History of the Roman or Civil Law. Shewing Its Origin and
Progress; How, and When the Several parts of It Were First Compil’d;
With Some Account of the Principal Writers and Commentators
Thereupon; And the Method to be Observ’d in Studying the Same.
Written Originally in French. To Which is Added, Dr. Duck’s Treatise
on the Use and Authority of the Civil Law in
England.
[With] The History of the Origine of the French Laws,
Translated from the French by J.B. Esq., With a Preface and Notes
Shewing, the Analogy of the Laws of the Antient Gauls and Britons.
London: Printed for D. Browne, 1724. [xii], iv, [2], 169,
xxxviii, [8], vii, 105, 7 pp. Reprinted 2005 by The Lawbook
Exchange, Ltd. With new Introduction by Michael Hoeflich.
ISBN 1-58477-663-3. Cloth. $85.
The Commerce Clause
Inscribed by Frankfurter
58. Frankfurter, Felix [1882-1965].
The Commerce Clause Under Marshall, Taney and Waite. Chapel
Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1937. 114 pp. Original
cloth, minor shelfwear, light but visible scratch to rear board,
negligible light spotting to endleaves and edges. Inscribed by
Frankfurter on front free endpaper. A well-preserved copy $600.
* First edition. The inscription reads: “To/ James Bryce,/ With the
respectful/ and high regards of/ Felix Frankfurter/ 19 December
1936.” “These three lucid essays are a welcome contribution to the clarity
of history.”: Charles Bunn, Harvard Law Review 50:1001 cited
in Marke 406.
The Labor Injunction
in Dust Ja |
