A Treatise on the Law of War, Philadelphia, 1810.
Du Ponceau's Translation of De Rebus Bellicus Bynkershoek, Cornelius van [1673-1743]. Du Ponceau, Peter S. [1760-1844], Editor and Translator. A Treatise on the Law of War: Being the First Book of His Quaestiones Juris Publici. Translated From the Original Latin with Notes, by Peter Stephen du Ponceau. Philadelphia: Published by Farrand & Nicholas [et al.], 1810. xxxiv, 218 pp. Octavo (8-1/2" x 5-1/2"). Later library cloth, gilt title, date and library name to spine. Negligible light shelfwear, library bookplate and shelf to front pastedown, library stamp to title page and a few other leaves at beginning and end of text. Moderate toning to text, slightly heavier in places, browning and a few minor chips to upper margins of final ten leaves. $450. * Only edition, one of two issues (the other bound into copies of Volume III of the American Law Journal). A translation of De Rebus Bellicus, part one of Bynkershoek's Quaestiones Juris Publici (1737), A Treatise on the Law of War addresses the customs of land and sea warfare. A notably humane work, it condemns actions against civilians and advocates the fair treatment of prisoners of war. Du Ponceau's able translation is prefaced by a biography of the author, a table of cases, an index of citations from the Corpus Juris Civilis and an annotated bibliography of civil law treatises cited or referred to by the author. This latter item, which lists editions and translations, is interesting for its insights into the American reception of the civil law in the early 1800s. Du Ponceau is an important figure in the early history of American law and letters. He founded the Law Academy of Philadelphia in 1821, was the President of the American Philosophical Society and was a much-consulted expert on international relations and linguistics. Cohen, Bibliography of Early American Law 7166.
Price: $450.00
Book number 72313