London: W Strahan and M Woodfall 1778. Leather. Fair. 14.5" by 9.5". None. A volume of this legal work by Matthew Bacon featuring notable legal cases. Volume I of original V. The fourth edition. Matthew Bacon was an eighteenth century commentator on the laws of England. This was his major work which collected court cases of interest to lawyers looking for precedents. Bacon died before completing the text and it was added to at later times by various authors. A fascinating piece of English history exploring the laws of the 18th century. In a full calf binding. Externally worn. Heavy rubbing and loss to boards and lifting of leather from boards. Library marking to spine. Front joint tender. Internally generally firmly bound although strained in places. Pages bright with spotting handling marks and age toning throughout. Old ink annotations throughout. Fair W Strahan and M Woodfall hardcover
London: A. Strahan for T. Cadell 1778. 4th ed. Hardcover. Acceptable. 5 volumes complete. Folio 37 cm. Bound in contemporary sheep. Red morocco spine labels. Bindings worn. Hinges cracked. Covers rubbed dry. Vols. 1 & 2 covers scraped. Generally good internally but vol. 1 has some marginal tanning spotting mostly to prelims. Some dampstaining and discoloration in vol. 4. Vol. 4 front board detached. Sold with all faults. <br> A widely read work by colonial-era American lawyers. "The standard encyclopedia of common law on both sides of the Atlantic ocean in the 18th century." W. Hamilton Bryson Legal Education in Virginia 1779-1978 UVA 1982. 749-755 p. The organization of the work more closely resembles a legal encyclopedia with "a series of scientifically constructed treatises on all branches of the law alphabetically arranged." William Holdsworth A History of English Law Methuen Sweet and Maxwell 1938 12:169. Interestingly both Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson owned copies of this work and used it in their legal practice. An important work in the evolution of American legal thinking. <br> Early stamp's of W. H Lowdermilk & Co. Law Booksellers Washington D.C. Lowdermilk & Co. were legal booksellers at the turn of the century. <br> This is an oversized or heavy book which requires additional postage for international delivery outside the US. London: A. Strahan, for T. Cadell hardcover