The Law from The Lawbook Exchange

Item 37 is a broadside from one of the worst episodes in American history. It is Civilian Exclusion Order No. 41, published from San Francisco on May 5, 1942. This ordered "all persons of Japanese descent, both alien and non-alien," out of all of California and most of Oregon and Washington. The result was most Japanese from these areas were sent off to internment camps, in effect imprisoned in shoddy camps for much of the remainder of the war. The government formally apologized and offered reparations to survivors and descendants in 1988. $1,500.

Item 153 is headed Anno Vicesimo Secundo Henrici Octavi. It is an accounting of 16 acts adopted during the 22nd year of the reign in England of King Henry VIII. It was published circa 1547, though it would pertain to 1531, just about the time Henry was starting to slip off the deep end. Among the acts of that year were "An Acte Ageynst Poysonnyng" and "An Acte Concernyng Outlandishe People Callyng Themselves Egiptians." The latter referred to Gypsies. $4,500.

Item 36 is a broadside for a law upon a law, A Law in Addition to a Law, Entitled "Of the Public Market Houses." Passed February 1, 1836, this law sets down regulations for the public markets in Albany, New York. It sets out regulations for the handling of meat and poultry as well as other food at the Centre Market, one of three in the city. Other rules set the hours, cost of permits, and allocation of stalls. It contains the printed name of Mayor Erastus Corning at the bottom. I don't know whether Albany still has these public markets, but when I was young, well over a hundred years after the date of this broadside, I accompanied my grandfather to the Albany Public Market while he would pick out (live) chickens. And the mayor was still Erastus Corning. No, Erastus didn't live that long. Erastus, great American railroad tycoon, served but one term as mayor in the 1830s. His great-grandson, Erastus Corning II, served over 40 years in the 20th century. $1,500.

Item 11 is a collection of letters and other material pertaining to the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal after the Second World War. It includes 300 letters from defense attorney John G. Brannan to his brother Sonny, also an attorney. Brannan had been assigned to help defend Admiral Osami Nagano. Nagano, leader of the Japanese Navy, had been reluctant to attack America, but was overridden on this call. He would later be kicked upstairs as the war effort went poorly. Nonetheless, as one letter here indicates, he was aware of the planned attack on Pearl Harbor. At a dinner with Nagano's wife, after his death, Brannan overheard her say to another Japanese officer that her husband had expressed regret at not being able to inform him in advance of the attack. Nagano suffered a heart attack and died during the trial. $15,000.

The Lawbook Exchange may be reached at 732-382-1800 or law@lawbookexchange.com. Their website is found at www.lawbookexchange.com.