Law, Or a Discourse Thereof, In Four Books, Written in French by Sir..
A Systematic Landmark of the Common Law: The Ombersley Court Copy of Finch's Law (1678) Finch, Sir Henry [1558-1625]. Law, Or a Discourse Thereof, In Four Books. Written in French by Sir Hen. Finch Kt. His Majesties Serjeant at Law. And Done Into English by the Same Author. London: Printed by the Assignes of Richard and Edward Atkins Esq, 1678. Octavo (6-1/4" x 3-3/4"; 15.7 x 9.5 cm). [vi], 496, 499-506, [16] pp. Initial blank lacking, text complete. With an index and two-page publisher advertisement. Full contemporary calf, blind rules to boards, raised bands and traces of former lettering piece to spine, gilt tooling to board edges. Moderate rubbing to extremities, joints cracked but cords holding, chipping to spine ends, corners bumped and worn. Light toning to interior, light soiling in a few places. Armorial bookplate of "Lord Sandys", to front pastedown, hand-lettered author name to fore-edge of text block, small ink notation (shelfmark?) to rear pastedown. A good, crisp copy in its original state. $750. * Before Blackstone, there was Finch. Originally published in Law-French in 1613, this was the first successful attempt to organize the "chaos of cases" that defined the English common law into a logical, systematic arrangement. It remained the primary textbook for law students for over 150 years. As Holdsworth notes, it was the "pioneer book" of English legal institutes; its definitions and structure were so robust that Blackstone incorporated the majority of Finch's work into his own Commentaries. This copy hails from the celebrated library of Ombersley Court, amassed over centuries by the Sandys family. The bookplate belongs to Samuel Sandys (1695-1770), the 1st Baron Sandys and Chancellor of the Exchequer. A notable 17th-century feature is the hand-lettered author name on the fore-edge, a remnant of the era when books were shelved edges-out. A superior copy of a foundational text, linking the medieval legal tradition to the modern era. Sweet & Maxwell, A Legal Bibliography of the British Commonwealth 1:238. Holdsworth, A History of English Law V:399-400. English Short-Title Catalogue R40596.
Price: $750.00
Book number 86058