A Treatise on the Police of London; Containing a Detail of the...
Only American Edition of an Important Work on Crime [Colquhoun, Patrick (1745-1820)]. A Treatise on the Police of London; Containing a Detail of the Various Crimes and Misdemeanors By Which Public and Private Property and Security Are, At Present, Injured and Endangered: And Suggesting Remedies for Their Prevention. Philadelphia: Printed for Benjamin Davies, 1798. xii, [7], 342, xxiv pp. Folding table. Octavo (8-1/4" x 5"). Contemporary sheep treated to resemble tree calf, lettering piece, gilt fillets and faint early hand-lettered author name to spine. Light rubbing and a few minor scuffs to boards, corners bumped and moderately worn, chipping to head of spine, front board partially detached but secure, rear joint and hinge starting at head, bookplate (of Thomas Robbins, 1827) to front pastedown. Moderate toning to text, "Colquhoun" added to title page in contemporary hand. $500. * Only American edition. Colquhoun was a tireless reformer and public-minded citizen. First published in London in 1796, his treatise on criminology offered innovative proposals, such as the appointment of public prosecutors and paid magistrates, productive labor by convicts and a system of preventative police. This Philadelphia imprint was a response to the keen interest in this subject among elite circles of reformers and legislators in America. Their efforts were reflected in Philadelphia's Eastern State Penitentiary, New York's Auburn Prison and Livingston's penal code. Cohen, Bibliography of Early American Law 1010.
Price: $500.00
Book number 59439