Law

London: ¶ Londini in ædibus Richardi Tottelli. [Richard Tottell] Anno Domini. 1580. [colophon:] [fleuron] Imprinted at London in Fletestrete within Temple Barre, at the signe of the Hand and Starre, by Rychard Tottel, the xvi. day of March. ¶ Anno domini a verbo nato. 1580., 1580. 3rd Edition . Leather. Very Good. Description: Sm. folio (11 × 8 in): [46], cccxxvi l. Early calf. · Register: 2º: ^[pi]A^4 A-H^4 ¶^4 ¶¶^6 ²A-4L^4 4M^6 (in this copy, the gatherings signed '¶' and '¶¶' are bound after the preliminary matter). · Condition: Rebacked, front joint cracked, cords secure. Numerous early marginal annotations. · Comments: First printed around 1514 from a manuscript now lost, the book of assizes is unique among the year books for reporting cases on circuit in the country, rather than those argued at the bar in Westminster. In addition to reprinting Rastell's preface to the first edition, this… Read More

Cambridge. Corn. Crownfield and John Crownfield. 1729. Bound in full period gilt ruled calfskin. Gilt ruled spine compartments with raised bands. Gilt titled morrocco label. Tall Folio. 9.0" x 14.25". The First Edition. A pious, if not amusing compendium concerning causes of and penalties for 18th century bad behaviour. Includes further sections on such dubious activities as Adultery, Rape, Incest, Sodomy and Beastiality, etc. Covers rubbed with loss of gilt to rules. Corners bumped. Very light offset to upper edges. A Very Good crisp, tight and clean copy of this most extraordinary catalogue of human depravation.

Published by John W. Foster, 1819. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/No Jacket. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" First edition, in original boards, of one of the most significant and influential of the early cases appearing before the Supreme Court, a landmark decision dealing with the application of the Contract Clause of the United States Constitution to private corporations. The case arose when the president of Dartmouth College was deposed by its trustees, leading to the New Hampshire legislature attempting to force the college to become a public institution and thereby place the ability to appoint trustees in the hands of the governor of New Hampshire. The Supreme Court upheld the sanctity of the original charter of the college, which pre-dated the creation of the State. Dartmouth College was represented by one of its most famous alumni, the orator and politician Daniel Webster. The ruling for the trustees was important for establishing an assurance for all investors in American corporate enterprise… Read More

1789. New York: Hugh Gaine, 1789. 2 vols bound in one. New York: Hugh Gaine, 1789. 2 vols bound in one. Handsome 1789 Folio Edition of New York Laws with Two Interesting Laid-In Manuscript Notes [New York]. [Jones, Samuel (1734-1819), Compiler]. [Varick, Richard (1753-1819), Compiler]. Laws of the State of New York, Comprising the Constitution, And the Acts of the Legislature Since the Revolution, From The First to the Twelfth Session, Inclusive. Published According to an Act of the Legislature, Passed the 15th April, 1786. New York: Printed by Hugh Gaine, 1789. Two volumes bound as one. [iv], 336, [12], xii, [2]; [ii], 471, [17] pp. Two laid-in manuscript notes, 5-3/4" x 8," 6" x 8." Folio (15" x 10"). Contemporary calf, blind fillets to boards, "Leonard Bronk" gilt-stamped to center of front board, rebacked retaining existing spine with raised bands and lettering piece, spine ends repaired, hinges mended. Light rubbing to boards and extremities, moderate rubbing to board edges, corners bumped.… Read More

1718. [Grand St.Bernard] [c.1718]. [Grand St.Bernard] [c.1718]. Restoring Discipline in the Augustinian Community of Grand-Saint-Bernard [Manuscript]. Boniface, Louis. [Hospice de Grand-Saint-Bernard]. Opuscula Nonnulla R. Ludovici Bonifacii Canonici Regularis Coadiutoris ad Salutiferam Regularis Disciplinae Restitutionem. Sparsim Adiunctis Postea Latis a Sacra Episcoporum & Regularium Congegatione Decretis 1718. [Grand-St.-Bernard, c.1718]. 304 ff. Quarto (9-1/2" x 7"). Contemporary morocco with decorate blind stamping, stitched down center of spine, which has an early hand-lettered title panel, fragments of thong ties, untrimmed edges. Light rubbing to boards, somewhat heavier rubbing to extremities, early repair to foot of spine. Light toning to interior, text in neat hand, a few laid-in notes. A handsome item. $4,500. * This is a collection of canon law writings by Louis Boniface, intended (so the title page states) to restore discipline at the famous Augustinian community of Grand-Saint-Bernard… Read More

Supreme Court of the United States, 1974. First Edition. Unknown. Very Good/No Jacket. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" Complete set of period autographs of the Supreme Court of the United States during the Watergate era, under Chief Justice Warren Burger. Crisply signed in ink by each Justice next to the photographs on a 4-page biographical pamphlet on the Court dating from the 1973/1974 term. Included are Chief Justice Warren E. Burger; and Associate Justices William H. Rehnquist, Lewis F. Powell, Jr., William J. Brennan, Jr., William O. Douglas, Thurgood Marshall, Byron R. White, Harry Blackmun, and Potter Stewart. The pamphlet is titled 'The Justices of the Supreme Court', and is printed on both sides of a single 9 x 11.875 inch sheet, folding to form 4 pages (paginated pp 9-12). The text at rear provides statistics from the Term ending July, 1973, so this dates from the Watergate term. There is a light pencil date of 7/74 at foot of last page. Included is a vintage COA from a prominent firm, founding… Read More

1776. [London?]: [S.n.], 1776.. [London?]: [S.n.], 1776. Account of a Notorious Case of Election Bribery Bound with Several Related Items [Trial]. Sykes, Francis [1730-1804], Defendant. The Trial of the Cause on the Action Brought by Hans Wintrop Mortimer, Esq; Member for the Borough of Shaftesbury, Against Francis Sykes, Esq; For Bribery Committed at Shaftesbury, Previous to the General Election, In October, 1774. Tried by a Special Jury, On Saturday the 27th of July, 1776. At the Assize Held at Dorchester for the County of Dorset, Before The Honourable Sir James Eyre, One of the Barons of His Majesty's Court of Exchequer. [London?]: [S.n.], 1776. 19, [1] pp. Main text in parallel columns. Two later tipped-in leaves of notes, affixed to one of these leaves are a contemporary account of the trial and a section of a letter in Mortimer's hand, tipped-in contemporary 21" x 14" mezzotint by an unknown artist, The Shaftesbury Election or the Humours of Punch (1775), additional annotations about the… Read More

1740. together 6 titles in 1 book. Dublin, 1740-1747.. together 6 titles in 1 book. Dublin, 1740-1747. A Collection of Scarce Dublin Pamphlets in a Contemporary Binding [Great Britain]. [A Trial Bound with Five Pamphlets on Social and Political Topics]. Dublin, 1740-1747. Octavo (7-3/4" x 4-3/4"). Together 6 titles. Contemporary calf, raised bands and lettering piece to spine, blind tooling to board edges. Some minor nicks and light scuffs to boards, moderate rubbing to extremities, corners bumped, tiny chip to front joint near head of spine, front hinge cracked, front free endpaper partially detached. Light toning to text, light edgewear and creases to plates, which are in the third pamphlet, minor stains and smudges to a few leaves, light soiling to title pages, early owner signature (of William Acton) to title page of first pamphlet. An interesting collection. $4,500. * The imprint locations and appearance of the binding suggest these pamphlets were bound together around 1750 in Ireland. The first… Read More

1792. Venice: Excudebant Fratres Coletii, 1792. Venice: Excudebant Fratres Coletii, 1792. Decriminalizing Witchcraft and Magic in Italy Renazzi, Filippo Maria [1745-1808]. De Sortilegio et Magia. Liber Singularis. Venice: Excudebant Fratres Coletii, 1792. [ii], 44 pp. Quarto (9" x 6-1/4"). Contemporary three-quarter calf over paper-covered boards, gilt ornaments and lettering piece to spine, speckled edges. Light rubbing to boards, some rubbing to spine ends and corners. Light toning to text, slightly heavier at rear of text, light foxing to a few leaves. A well-preserved copy of a scarce title. $2,500. * First edition as an independent work. Renazzi was a Roman Jurist who, like Beccaria, tried to apply the principles of Enlightenment thinking to criminal law. Drawn from Renazzi's four-volume Elementa Juris Criminalis (first edition 1773-1786), De Sortilegio et Magico calls for the decriminalization of witchcraft and magic. Later editions were published in 1793, 1803 and 1821. All are scarce. OCLC… Read More

1897. Boston, April 10, 1897.. Boston, April 10, 1897. "Don't you Feel a Sort of Settled Intimacy as the Result of Time and our Writing and Every Thing?" [Manuscript]. Holmes, Oliver Wendell, Jr. [1841-1935]. [Castletown, Lady Clare (1853-1927)]. [Autograph Letter Signed "OWH" to Lady Clare Castletown, Boston (?), April 10, 1897]. 10" x 8" bifolium, content filling rectos and versos of both leaves. Light toning, vertical and horizontal fold lines, minor tears to folds in two places. $3,000. * This letter dates from the early years of Holmes's lengthy correspondence with Lady Clare Castletown, an aristocratic woman with whom Holmes had an intense flirtation. Holmes, then an associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, offers interesting remarks about the statesman John Hay, the historian Henry Adams and the recently-published book Farthest North (1897) by the Norwegian Polar explorer Fridtjof Nansen. The letter reads, in part: "To answer your question about our Ambassador [Hay], I… Read More

1662. in a Royal Binding. in a Royal Binding. Prynne Reviews the History of Parliamentary Writs and Practice, A Copy in an English Royal Binding Prynne, William [1600-1669]. Brevia Parliamentaria Rediviva. In XIII Sections Conteining Several Catalogues of the Numbers, Dates of All Bundles of Original Writs of Summons and Elections Newly Found, Or Formerly Extant in the Tower of London During the Reigns of King Edw. 1, 2, 3. R. 2. H. 4, 5, 6. And E. 4 Being 117 Bundles: Of All the Knights Names of Each County Retorned on These Writs; And all Cities, Boroughs, Ports Therin Summoned to Elect, Send, Or Actually Returning Citizens, Burgesses, Barons, And How Oft They Did it During These Kings Reigns: With 3. Catalogues of All the Citizens, Burgesses Retorned on These Writs for Bathe, Bristol, London: The Ancient Forms of Elections, Retorns Cedules, Indentures Relating to Each County, City, Borough, Port; Besides Sundry Rare Writs, Records, Memorials, And Observations from them Touching Elections, Retorns:… Read More

1776. London: Printed for J. Wenman, 1776. 4 vols.. London: Printed for J. Wenman, 1776. 4 vols. Illustrated Accounts of "The Most Notorious Malefactors" of Eighteenth-Century Britain Villette, John, Primary Author. The Annals of Newgate; Or, Malefactors Register. Containing a Particular and Circumstantial Account of the Lives, Transactions, And Trials of the Most Notorious Malefactors, Who Have Suffered an Ignominious Death for Their Offences, viz. for Parricide, Murder, Treason, Robbery, Burglary, Piracy, Coining, Forgery, And Rapes: From the Commitment of the Celebrated John Sheppard, To the Acquittal of the Equally Celebrated Margaret Caroline Rudd. Including a Period of Fifty Years and Upwards, Both in Town and Country. Calculated To Expose the Desormity of Vice, The Infamy and Punishments Naturally Attending Those who Deviate from the Paths of Virtue; And Intended as a Beacon to Warn the Rising Generation Against the Temptations, The Allurements, And the Dangers of Bad Company. The Former Part… Read More

1904. Boston: The Merrymount Press, 1904. Boston: The Merrymount Press, 1904. A Memorial Tribute to a Prominent Female Boston Artist Inscribed, Signed and Marked by Holmes [Holmes, Oliver Wendell, Jr. (1841-1935)]. [Whitman, Sarah Wyman (1842-1904)]. Sarah Whitman. Boston: The Merrymount Press, 1904. [vi], 27, [2] pp. Specked paper boards with contrasting spine, title and image of wreath to front board, gilt title to spine, deckle edges. Light wear to spine ends and corners, light toning to text, light foxing to a few leaves. "Helen C. Bell/ 14 Chestnut St./ From O.W. Holmes" in pencil to head of title page, check marks in pencil, most likely by Holmes, in margins next to two passages. $2,500. * A prominent and commercially successful painter and stained glass and book cover designer who ran an important literary salon with her husband, Whitman was one of Holmes's neighbors in Boston and Beverly Farms. Sarah Whitman is a record of a memorial service in her honor at the Baptist Church in Beverly… Read More

(4), 108, (8) pages with woodcut heraldic vignette on title and woodcut head- and tail-piece; 8 pages.Cont. calf on five raised bands, red gilt morocco label to second compartment, all others richly gilt. Sprinkled edges. 4to (255 x 188 mm). Extremeties rubbed. I. Barbier, II, 30. First edition, published a year after the promulgation, of the royal edict of August 1686. This edict, despite its title, applies to the entire kingdom. "Within a very difficult context as far as the book trade in the provinces was concerned - since the latter was being stifled by the stringent economic policies of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, the famous Superintendent of Finances under Louis XIV, which also extended to control of the press and were biased in favour of the major Parisian publishers whose privileges kept on being renewed - the regulations of 1686, structured into sixty-nine articles under various headings, were the last major set of book trade regulations to be promulgated in France in the seventeenth century.… Read More

Artist book in the "International mail art event and simultaneous exhibitions in three cities--NYC, Denver, Seattle." Presented in 1990 with Women's Studio Workshop (NY) in an edition of 60, "distributed to 50 people around the world in the fields of politics, art, the media, science, education, and religion who held positions on both sides" (Sollod Studio, 2023).
A unique and provocative piece of American political history, art activism, third-wave feminism, and the continued struggle for human rights and reproductive freedom. Owned by a selection of world leaders and policy and public-opinion influencers* (see the complete distribution list below), this artifact is scarcely offered for purchase. As relevant now as ever, this exceptionally rare volume is an exhilarating addition to any collection.
This is the signed artist's proof. Twenty-four accordion-fold leaves bound in cloth cover boards. Lithography, relief, and hand-coloring printing methods with Bembo typeface on Rives heavyweight paper.
27 x… Read More