American Law - 19th Century
The First Compilation of Illinois Supreme Court Cases Breese, Sidney [1800-1878]. Reports of Cases at Common Law and in Chancery, Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of the State of Illinois, From its First Organization in 1819, To the End of December Term 1830. Kaskaskia: Printed by Robert K...... More
A Handsome First-Edition Set of Kent's Commentaries Kent, James [1763-1847]. Commentaries on American Law. New York: Published by O. Halsted, 1826-1830. Four volumes. 508, 528, 413, 550 pp. Octavo (8-3/4" x 5-1/4"). Recent period-style calf, black-stamped frames to boards, gilt fillets and red and black lettering pieces, retained from earlier..... More
First Edition of a Successful Layman's Manual Fessenden, Thomas G[reen] [1771-1837]. The American Clerk's Companion, and Attorney's Prompter: A Collection of the Most Useful and Approved Forms of Legal Instruments, Precedents in Pleading, &c. With Observations Relative to the Varieties of Practice, Introduced or Sanctioned by the Statutes and Courts..... More
The Report That Established the Pennsylvania System of Penology [Pennsylvania]. [Commission to Revise the Penal Code]. Report on Punishments and Prison Discipline: By the Commissioners Appointed to Revise the Penal Code. Commissioners: Hon. Judge Shaler, Hon. Judge King, T.I. Wharton, Esq. Philadelphia: Printed by John Clarke, 1828. [1], 77 pp..... More
Privately Issued Pre-Publication Typescript Copy of Stephen Field's Personal Reminiscences Field, Stephen J. [1816-1899]. Personal Reminiscences of Early Days in California, With Other Sketches. To Which is Added the Story of His Attempted Assassination by a Former Associate on the Supreme Bench of the State. By Hon. George C. Gorman..... More
Signed by Learned Hand [Hand, Learned (1872-1961)]. [Annotated Copy of a Marriage Service with Witness Signature of Learned Hand]. October 21, 1896. In The Marriage Service of the Book of Common Prayer. Our Marriage Vow---The Service and Minister's Certificate. New York: Thomas Whittaker, 1877. [x], 16, [19] pp. Octavo (6-1/2"..... More
"A Bold and Successful Conspiracy to Defraud" McClure, Joseph M. The Evans Embezzlement; Or, The History of a Bold and Successful Conspiracy to Defraud the State of Pennsylvania. $198,911 58 Retained as Compensation for Thirty-One Days of Alleged Service. $291,046 91 Lost to the State Through the Gross Negligence of..... More
Five New Titles from W.C. Little [Legal Publishing]. [List of Books Recently Issued by W.C. Little & Co]. Albany, NY, c.1882. 11" x 8-1/2" sheet with text to both sides. Light toning, light soiling and two small spots, horizontal fold line with minor tears to either side, four holes punched..... More
Owned by Samuel Morse's Brother [Kendall, Amos (1789-1869)]. [Morse, Samuel (1791-1872)]. [Jackson, Charles Thomas (1805-1880)]. Morse's Patent. Full Exposure of Dr Chas.T.Jackson's Pretensions to the Invention of the American Electro-Magnetic Telegraph. [Washington, DC: S.n., c.1850]. 66 pp. Octavo (8-3/4" x 5-1/2"). Stab-stitched pamphlet. Light toning, occasional light to moderate foxing..... More
"Criminals Give Our Village a Wide Berth" [Penology]. [Advertisement for Cages for Lock-ups or Police Stations]. Kenton, OH: The Champion Iron Co., Jail Department. c.1893. Single sheet (12-1/2" x 7-1/2") with stab-stitched pamphlet in stiff printed wrappers (3-1/4" x 5-1/2"). Moderate toning, horizontal and vertical fold lines, two tears along..... More
Compilation of Pennsylvania Acts [Pennsylvania]. General Assembly. Acts of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: Passed at a Session, Which Was Begun and Held at the Borough of Lancaster, On Tuesday the Fourth Day of December, In the Year of Our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Four..... More
Discusses New York's Courts and Penal Institutions Pell, Ferris. A Review of the Administration and Civil Police of the State of New York, From the Year 1807, To the Year 1819. New York: Printed by E. Conrad, 1819. 184 pp. Octavo (8-1/4" x 5-1/2"). Sewn pamphlet, spine reinforced with contrasting..... More
1826 Study of the Auburn State Prison by Its Warden Powers, G[ershom] [1789-1831]. A Brief Account of the Construction, Management, & Discipline &c. &c. Of the New-York State Prison at Auburn: Together with a Compendium of Criminal Law. Also a Report of the Trial of an Officer of Said Prison..... More
The Role of Lawyers in "National Reconstruction" Washburn, Emory [1800-1877]. National Reconstruction and the Duty of the Profession: Reprinted from the "Law Reporter." Boston: Published by William Guild and Company, [1864]. 10 pp. Octavo (9-1/4" x 5-3/4"). Unsewn self-wrappers, moderate toning, faint vertical crease through center, minor wear to spine..... More
A Standard Nineteenth-Century English Evidence Treatise With Extensive American Additions Peake, Thomas [1771-1838]. Bayard, Samuel [1767-1840], American Additions. A Compendium of the Law of Evidence. From the Third London Edition, With Additions: And an Appendix Containing a Digest of American Cases on the Law of Evidence by Samuel Bayard. Philadelphia..... More
The Wentworths Kill the Tax Collector: McDade 1075 [Trials]. Wentworth, Asa, Defendant. Wentworth, Henry, Defendant. Wentworth, Horace, Defendant. The Parker Murder. Manchester's Great Mystery. The Story of the Murder of Jonas L. Parker, March 26, 1845, With an Account of the Efforts to Discover his Murderers, And a Report of..... More
Du Ponceau Advises a Fellow Philadelphia Attorney [Manuscript]. Du Ponceau, Peter S. [1760-1844]. [Copy of Letter to Robert E. Griffith, Philadelphia, December, 10 1822]. Single leaf folded to form 10" x 8" bifolium, "Copy" to head of recto of first leaf, franked and docketed (and marked "Copy") on verso of..... More
An Interesting Piece of California Legal History [Manuscript]. Freeman, Abraham Clark [1843-1911]. Register of Actions and Proceedings. Sacramento County, CA, 1877-1880. 244 pp. Folio (13" x 7-3/4"). Contemporary three-quarter sheep over marbled boards, gilt fillets to spine, marbled edges. Light rubbing to boards, dampstain to rear board, heavier rubbing to..... More
Presented by Parker to a Fellow Abolitionist [Trial]. Parker, Theodore [1810-1860], Defendant. The Trial of Theodore Parker, For the "Misdemeanor" of a Speech in Faneuil Hall Against Kidnapping, Before the Circuit Court of the United States, At Boston, April 3, 1855. With the Defence. Boston: Published for the Author, 1855..... More
A Pastor Defends His Congregant Clark, Benjamin Franklin [1808-1879]. Alarming Developments Connected With Our Courts. The Wrong Member of Middlesex Bar, Convicted of Perjury, And the Means By Which it was Accomplished Exposed! By B.F. Clark, Pastor of the Congregational Church and Society in North Chelmsford, Ms. Boston: Printed by..... More
American Prize Cases From the War of 1812 [Trials]. [Fisher's Prize Cases]. United States, Circuit Court (Third District). Cases Decided in the District and Circuit Court of the United States for the Pennsylvania District, And Also a Case Decided in the District Court of Massachusetts, Relative to the Employment of..... More
A Notable Nineteenth-Century Massachusetts Libel Trial [Commonwealth v. Buckingham]. [Otis, Harrison Gray (1792-1827)]. A Letter to the Hon. Josiah Quincy, Judge of the Municipal Court, In the City of Boston, On the Law of Libel, As Laid Down by Him in the Case of Commonwealth vs. Buckingham. Boston: Wells and..... More
The First California Law Compilation [California]. Garfielde, S., Compiler. Snyder, F.A., Compiler. Compiled Laws of the State of California: Containing all the Acts of the Legislature of a Public and General Nature, Now in Force, Passed at the Sessions of 1850-51-52-53. To Which are Prefixed the Declaration of Independence, The..... More
A Condensed Edition of Story on the Constitution for Students in Secondary Schools and Lay Readers Story, Joseph [1779-1845]. A Familiar Exposition of the Constitution of the United States: Containing a Brief Commentary on Every Clause, Explaining the True Nature, Reasons, and Objects Thereof; Designed for the Use of School..... More
Documents Relating to Little, Brown & Co. [Archive]. [Legal Publishing]. [Greenleaf, Simon (1783-1753)]. Bancroft, George [1800-1891]. Curtis, Benjamin Robbins [1809-1874]. Henry, Joseph [1797-1878]. [Correspondence and Other Documents Related to Legal Publishing, 1824-1849]. Twelve manuscript, printed and part-printed documents, sizes range from 7-1/4" x 4-1/4" to 10" x 8." Light toning..... More