Le Digest des Briefes Originals, Et des Choses Concernants Eux...
Important Early Work on Writs Thoroughly Annotated by an Early Owner Theloall, Simon. Le Digest des Briefes Originals, Et des Choses Concernants Eux. London: In Aedibus Richardi Tottelli, 1579. [viii], 424 ff. Octavo (5-3/4" x 3-3/4"). Seventeenth-century calf, blind rules to boards, raised bands to spine, boards reattached. Moderate rubbing to boards, heavier rubbing to extremities with wear to spine ends and corners, small section lacking from center of spine, a few partial cracks to text block, Signature G (ff. 49-56) trimmed a little shorter than other signatures. Thoroughly annotated by a contemporary owner in Law French in a small, neat chancery hand, notes affected in places by trimming. Contemporary owner inscription to title page (Robbart), along with a few brief contemporary annotations, purchase date to verso of final leaf: "25 May 1580." Preserved in a custom cloth clamshell box with printed paper title label. $5,000. * First edition. Theloall's Digest was the accepted register of correctly drafted writs. It owes its origin to the suggestion of Staunford that it would be a good idea if lawyers would write treatises on the other titles of the abridgments similar to his study of the Title "Prerogative." Staunford illustrated his meaning by showing how the Title "Brief" might be treated. Theloall chose this title, and wrote a treatise on it for his own use. The manuscript, having been lent, eventually found its way to a printer. "It deserved to be printed, as it is the most orderly treatise on procedure, founded on the Year Books, that had yet appeared... Historically, it comes between the older commentaries upon writs and the modern books on procedure" (Holdsworth). A second edition was published in 1678. The work of a seasoned practitioner, the annotations in our copy are a collection of case references, cross references and glosses. Holdsworth, A History of English Law V:381. English Short-Title Catalogue S118369. Beale, A Bibliography of Early English Law Books T499.
Price: $5,000.00
Book number 71265