The Trial of John Peter Zenger, Of New-York... London, 1765.
The 1765 Manifesto on Free Speech and Jury Nullification: Zenger's Landmark American Press Trial Paired with the Owen Libel Case [Trial]. Zenger, John Peter, Defendant. Owen, William, Defendant. The Trial of John Peter Zenger, Of New-York, Printer: Who Was Charged with Having Printed and Published a Libel Against the Government; And Acquitted. With a Narrative of His Case. To Which is Now Added, Being Never Printed Before, The Trial of Mr. William Owen, Bookseller, Near Temple Bar, Who Was Also Charged with the Publication of a Libel Against the Government; Of Which He was Honourably Acquitted by a Jury of Free-Born Englishmen, Citizens of London. London: Printed for J. Almon, 1765. Octavo (9" x 5-1/2"; 22.9 x 14 cm). 59, [1 advt] pp. Contemporary stab-stitched plain paper wrappers. Front cover features title in an elegant, contemporary ink manuscript hand. Early ownership signature ("J. Pickard") in ink at the upper margin of the title page. Edges untrimmed. A completely unsophisticated copy in its original state. Light toning, minor dust-soiling to outer wrappers, else a very good, crisp copy. Perserved in a custom blue morocco and cloth clamshell box. $5,000. * First Almon Edition, and the first edition to combine the historic Zenger freedom of the press trial with the landmark 1752 London libel trial of bookseller William Owen. John Peter Zenger's 1735 trial is universally recognized as the foundation for freedom of the press in North America and a vital precedent to the First Amendment. Zenger, a German-born printer, published the New York Weekly Journal, Britain's first independent political opposition newspaper in the colonies. He was jailed for seditious libel after printing satirical attacks against the corrupt colonial governor, William Cosby. Defended by the brilliant Philadelphia lawyer Andrew Hamilton, Zenger was acquitted by a jury that famously established the principle that truth is a defense against libel. The critical "Narrative" included here is widely attributed to James Alexander, the co-founder and chief editorial voice of Zenger's journal. This important 1765 compilation marks the first time Zenger's case was paired with the trial of William Owen. Owen had been prosecuted for publishing a pamphlet titled The Case of Alexander Murray. In a striking parallel to the Zenger case, Owen's jury bold.
Price: $5,000.00
Book number 86580