The Two Principal Arguments of William Wirt, Esquire, On the Trial...
Streeter 1693: The Prosecution's Arguments at the Burr Treason Trial [Trial]. Burr, Aaron [1756-1836], Defendant. Wirt, William [1772-1834]. The Two Principal Arguments of William Wirt, Esquire, On the Trial of Aaron Burr, For High Treason, And on the Motion to Commit Aaron Burr and Others, For Trial in Kentucky. Richmond: From the Press of Samuel Pleasants, Jun., 1808. [iv], 221 pp. Advertisement leaf follows title page. Not issued with the portrait frontispiece (of Aaron Burr), which is true of only a few copies. 12mo. (5-3/4" x 3-1/2"; 14.6 x 8.9 cm). Contemporary tree calf, gilt title and ornaments to spine, endpapers renewed with marbled paper. Light rubbing, nicks and scratches to boards, moderate rubbing to extremities, front hinge cracked, chips to spine ends and front board at foot of joint and lower outside corner, corners bumped and somewhat worn. Moderate toning to interior, light browning, light foxing and faint dampstaining in places, chips to fore-edges of front endleaf and title page. A very good copy overall. $2,500. * Only edition. Burr was implicated in a plot to steal land from Mexico and the Louisiana Purchase in order to establish an independent country. Arrested and tried in 1807 on charges of treason, he was acquitted due to a lack of specific evidence. Wirt, his prosecutor, was United States Attorney for the District of Virginia. His famous principal speech in the trial of Aaron Burr lasting nearly four hours. Characterized by considerable eloquence, wit and logic, it enhanced his national stature. Wirt went on to serve as United States Attorney General under Presidents Monroe and John Quincy Adams, where he did much to define the office and enhance its stature. The last copy at auction was sold at Sotheby's in 2021 for $2,142. Like ours, it does not have a frontispiece. Streeter, The Celebrated Collection of Americana Formed by the Late Thomas Winthrop Streeter 1693 (with frontispiece). Identical to our copy: Cohen, Bibliography of Early American Law 14120. Howes, USIana W-587. Sabin, A Dictionary of Books Relating to America 104883.
Price: $2,500.00
Book number 84982