The Constitution of England; Or, An Account of the English Government.
First American Edition of an Important Treatise on English Constitution De Lolme, J[ean] L[ouis] [1740-1806]. The Constitution of England; Or, an Account of The English Government In Which it is Compared Both With the Republican Form of Government, And the Other Monarchies in Europe. A New Edition, Enlarged. New York: Printed by Hodge & Campbell, 1792. xvi, [1], 26-376, [8] pp. Octavo (7" x 4-1/2"; 17.8 x 11.4 cm). Contemporary tree sheep, gilt fillets and lettering piece to spine. Moderate rubbing to extremities, Front board detached, rear board beginning to separate, chipping to spine ends, corners bumped and somewhat worn. Moderate toning, some offsetting to margins of preliminaries and endleaves, early owner signature (Theodore Lincoln) to head of title page. $150. * First American edition. First published in 1771, this highly regarded popular exposition of the English constitution by a Swiss jurist went through several editions well into the nineteenth century. It was the first book-length analysis of the "separation of powers" proposed in Book XI of Montesquieu's Spirit the Laws, which sketched an institutional distinction between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. As one would expect, it was held in high regard by many of the founding fathers; Hamilton cites it favorably in The Federalist. Marvin notes: "This work has been held in high estimation from its first publication, and still holds a distinguished place. (...) It has been made the basis of larger works upon the same subject, by Stephens and Western. Judge Story remarks that the author `has presented a view of English Equity Jurisprudence, far more exact and comprehensive than many of the English text writers on the same subject'." Marvin, Legal Bibliography 263. Cohen, Bibliography of Early American Law 2754.
Price: $150.00
Book number 87221