Judge Curtis's Edition of the Decisions of the Supreme Court...
1855 Prospectus for Curtis's Edition of U.S. Supreme Court Reports [Legal Publishing]. Curtis, Benjamin, Robbins [1809-1874]. Judge Curtis's Edition of the Decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States. Boston: Little, Brown & Company, 1855. 11" x 8-1/2" (27.9 x 21.6 cm) bifolium. Leaf folded into thirds, a few light spots, some discoloration along folds, address of Nahum Peck and postal stamp to verso of final leaf. A well-preserved piece of legal advertising. $450. * This prospectus was designed as a direct-mail piece to solicit subscriptions for Justice Benjamin R. Curtis's landmark edition of the U.S. Supreme Court Reports. It includes order information, detailed subscription terms, bibliographic specs for the forthcoming set, a substantive excerpt from Curtis's preface outlining his editorial methodology and a prominent testimonial signed by Curtis's fellow U.S. Supreme Court Justices, validating the accuracy and utility of the edition. The circular also includes advertising a new set of English Reports alongside a checklist of recent and forthcoming American legal treatises. Benjamin Robbins Curtis served as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1851 to 1857. A brilliant legal mind, he holds the distinction of being the first Supreme Court Justice to have earned a formal law degree (Harvard Law School, Class of 1832). He is perhaps best remembered for his fiery, historic dissent in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case (1857), shortly after which he resigned from the bench due to systemic tensions over the decision. His edition of Supreme Court reports was highly prized by 19th-century practitioners for its concise, accurate headnotes and for condensing a massive, sprawling library of reports into a streamlined, affordable set. Nahum Peck (1796-1883) was a prominent 19th-century Vermont attorney and state legislator, and vigorous anti-slavery activist. This prospectus captures a pivotal moment in the commercialization of American case law.
Price: $450.00
Book number 86291