Rare Book Monthly

Book Catalogue Reviews - May - 2016 Issue

Legal Material Displayed at the Fair by the Lawbook Exchange

Books at the fair.

Books at the fair.

The Lawbook Exchange recently published a catalogue of items to be displayed at the 2016 New York Antiquarian Book Fair. We don't know how many were sold on the spot, but we will presume some of these are still available. Offered is a wide variety of subjects and dates, with the common thread being a connection to the law. Some items are books, but others are more ephemeral in nature, such as photographs and letters. If you collect the law, there is bound to be something here of interest.

 

Going back to the earliest days of English law, we begin with Tractatus de Legibus et Consuetudinibus Regni Anglie, by Ranulf de Glanville. This is a first edition, published in 1554, but the text is much older. Glanville was a 12th century justice who served as a close advisor to King Henry II. It was believed written around 1189, and certainly no later. Henry died that year, and his son, Richard I, threw Glanville out of office and imprisoned him until he paid a ransom. Glanville soon went off with the Crusades and died the following year. This first significant legal text was not one of case law, but rather, a guide to procedures in the English courts. It was highly respected and remained in use for centuries. Item 39. Priced at $12,500.

 

From the first we go to probably the most important English legal book ever written. Item 7 is the first American edition of Commentaries on the Laws of England, In Four Books. Reprinted From the British Copy, Page for Page with the Last Edition. This first American of what is commonly known as Blackstone's Commentaries was published in Philadelphia in 1771-1772, while America was still a part of England. Prior to Blackstone, English law consisted of centuries worth of scattered cases, unorganized and impossible to understand. What Blackstone did was to organize the case law, but then he did more than just copy it. He weaved the cases into a consistent whole, explaining the principles behind the cases. This was essential for those in the field to understand how it should apply to new cases with different facts than those from the past. Blackstone's book was the essential legal guide in America well into the 19th century, and it continues to be cited in court decisions to this day. $17,500.

 

Next we have another major legal treatise, but while this is the first English edition, the author was not an English subject. Rather, it was the work of Dutch jurist Hugo Grotius. Grotius' focus was international law, of which little was recognized when he lived during the 17th century. He laid down a theory of law based on the writings of ancient and contemporary scholars, natural law, and the rights of nations in consideration with the liberties of their peoples. Grotius was also noted as an advocate for freedom of the seas, something not generally recognized by all nations at the time. What Grotius did not consider applicable to international law was church law, which got his book posted to the index of banned books. Item 45 is The Illustrious Hugo Grotius: Of the Law of Warre and Peace. It was edited by Clement Barksdale and includes memorials to Grotius who died in 1645. This first English was published in 1655. $3,500.

 

Before we had "too big to fail" we had The Curse of Bigness. That is the title of Justice Louis Brandeis' 1935 book. Brandeis had been a crusader against large, monopolistic companies during the Progressive era of Theodore Roosevelt. Brandeis felt that not only should large monopolies be broken up if they abused their power, but that the trend toward bigness was counterproductive to the economy and welfare of the nation in general. The issue in his day was not so much what would happen if a large company on which much economic activity depended failed, but what happened when they were too successful, that is, successful in furthering their own aims at the expense of the nation. This copy of Brandeis' book has been signed boldly by him on the title page. Item 10. $950.

 

This case of a Rhode Island butcher who didn't want to accept paper money became an important precedent in American law. The Rhode Island legislature had passed a law requiring the acceptance of its paper currency. However, they went farther. They legislated that those accused of not accepting the currency would be tried before judges, denying their constitutional right to a jury. Furthermore, appeals of these courts' verdicts could not be made to the higher courts of the state. John Weeden was the butcher in The Case, Trevett Against Weeden. This 1787 publication was prepared by his attorney, James Varnum, a general during the Revolution and Rhode Island representative to the Continental Congress. Varnum argued that the law was an unconstitutional violation of Weeden's rights to a trial by jury and the court agreed. This case served as precedent for one of the most important U.S. Supreme Court cases, Marbury v. Madison, which established the judiciary's right to rule on the constitutionality of laws passed by the legislature. Item 98. $1,000.

 

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

Rare Book Monthly

  • Old World Auctions (April 23):
    Lot 748. Second volume of Blaeu's atlas featuring 89 maps of the Americas and Asia (1642) Est. $12,000 - $15,000
    Old World Auctions (April 23):
    Lot 12. A world map with popular cartographic myths and unique embellishments (1788) Est. $3,000 - $3,750
    Old World Auctions (April 23):
    Lot 30. One of the most sought-after charts from Cellarius' work (1708) Est. $1,200 - $1,500
    Old World Auctions (April 23):
    Lot 38. Anti-Vietnam War persuasive cartography on a velvet poster (1971) Est. $350 - $425
    Old World Auctions (April 23):
    Lot 43. Ortelius' influential map of the New World - second plate (1584) Est. $4,750 - $6,000
    Old World Auctions (April 23):
    Lot 95. Scarce German map illustrating the French & Indian War (1755) Est. $8,000 - $9,500
    Old World Auctions (April 23):
    Lot 149. Bachmann's dramatic view of the Mid-Atlantic region (1864) Est. $1,200 - $1,500
    Old World Auctions (April 23):
    Lot 373. De Jode's very rare map of Europe with costumed figures (1593) Est. $6,000 - $7,500
    Old World Auctions (April 23):
    Lot 674. De Bry's Petits Voyages, Part VII with all plates and map of Sri Lanka (1606) Est. $1,400 - $1,700
    Old World Auctions (April 23):
    Lot 704. The first printed map devoted to the Pacific in full contemporary color (1589) Est. $7,500 - $9,000
    Old World Auctions (April 23):
    Lot 734. Superb hand-colored image of the Tree of Jesse (1502) Est. $700 - $850
  • University Archives
    Rare Autographs, Books & Photos; Abraham Lincoln Collection
    April 23, 2025
    University Archives, Apr. 23: Best Image of Abraham Lincoln: "Closest… to ‘seeing' Lincoln… A National Treasure" Original Hesler/Ayres Interpositive. $800,000 to $1,000,000.
    University Archives, Apr. 23: Einstein, 3pp of Unified Field Theory Equations: “I want to try to show that a truly natural choice for field equations exists.” Formalizing His Final Approach, Association to Theory of Relativity. $80,000 to $120,000.
    University Archives, Apr. 23: Marilyn Monroe's Best Personally Owned & Annotated Script for Unfinished Last Film, "Something's Got to Give" (1962). $75,000 to $100,000.
    University Archives
    Rare Autographs, Books & Photos; Abraham Lincoln Collection
    April 23, 2025
    University Archives, Apr. 23: David Ben-Gurion ALS: "The Jewish people have attained the epitome...the State of Israel is born," 1 Day After Signing Israeli Declaration of Independence, Best Ben-Gurion Ever! $80,000 to $100,000.
    University Archives, Apr. 23: Lincoln ALS to Youth: "A young man, before the enemy has learned to watch him...votes... shall redeem the county" Evocative of Famous "Work" Letter. $70,000 to $100,000.
    University Archives, Apr. 23: Lincoln Appointment for Cabinet Member With Largest, Boldest, Full Signature! Important Content: Detente with England. $10,000 to $15,000.
    University Archives
    Rare Autographs, Books & Photos; Abraham Lincoln Collection
    April 23, 2025
    University Archives, Apr. 23: Abraham Lincoln Rare Signed Check To Law Partner W.H. Herndon, Perhaps Unique as Such! $20,000 to $25,000
    University Archives, Apr. 23: Tokyo War Crimes Files of Prosecuting Attorney For POW Camp Atrocities, 500+ Pages, Unpublished Court Documents, Photos and More. $25,000 to $35,000.
    University Archives, Apr. 23: 1698 South Carolina Slavery Archive Huguenot Planters Earliest Rare Plat Maps for Plantations 41 Docs 107 pp. Most Colonial. $25,000 to $35,000.
    University Archives
    Rare Autographs, Books & Photos; Abraham Lincoln Collection
    April 23, 2025
    University Archives, Apr. 23: Adam Smith ALS While Revising “The Wealth of Nations” - A New Discovery Documenting Meeting with Influential Editor. $18,000 to $24,000.
    University Archives, Apr. 23: Margaret Mitchell Rare ALS to Her Editor as Epic Film "Gone With the Wind" Gains Heat "Forgive this scrawl. I haven't written a letter in long hand in years and I've almost forgotten how it's done." $3,000 to $4,000.
    University Archives, Apr. 23: Einstein 1935 TLS, Hopes to Warn Non-Jews of "The true nature of the Hitler regime.” $8,500 to $10,000.
  • Swann, Apr. 22: Lot 124: Henri Courvoisier-Voisin, et alia, [Recueil de Vues de Paris et ses Environs], depicting precursors of the modern roller coaster, Paris, [1814-1819?]. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Swann, Apr. 22: Lot 148: Pablo Picasso & Fernando de Rojas, La Célestine, First Edition, Paris, 1971. $30,000 to $40,000.
    Swann, Apr. 22: Lot 201: Omar Khayyam & Edward Fitzgerald, Rubaiyat, William Bell Scott's copy of the First Edition, London, 1859. $20,000 to $30,000.
    Swann, Apr. 22: Lot 223: Charles Dickens, Great Expectations, First Edition, extra-illustrated with hand-colored plates by Palinthorpe, London, 1861. $7,000 to $9,000.
    Swann, Apr. 22: Lot 248: L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, First Edition, inscribed by the illustrator, Chicago & New York, 1900. $20,000 to $30,000.
    Swann, Apr. 22: Lot 305: Tycho Brahe & Pierre Gassendi, Tychonis Brahei Vita, Paris, 1654. From the Collection of Owen Gingerich. $8,000 to $12,000.
    Swann, Apr. 22: Lot 338: Giovanni Battista Riccioli, Almagestum Novum, two folio volumes, Bologna, 1651. From the Collection of Owen Gingerich. $8,000 to $10,000.
    Swann, Apr. 22: Lot 350: Tobias Cohn, Ma'aseh Toviyyah, first edition, Venice, 1707-8. $3,000 to $5,000.
    Swann, Apr. 22: Lot 359: Alan Turing, Computing, Machinery, and Intelligence, first edition, Edinburgh, 1950. $3,000 to $5,000.
  • Sotheby's
    Sell Your Fine Books & Manuscripts
    Sotheby’s: The Shem Tov Bible, 1312 | A Masterpiece from the Golden Age of Spain. Sold: 6,960,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: Ten Commandments Tablet, 300-800 CE | One of humanity's earliest and most enduring moral codes. Sold: 5,040,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: William Blake | Songs of Innocence and of Experience. Sold: 4,320,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: The Declaration of Independence | The Holt printing, the only copy in private hands. Sold: 3,360,000 USD
    Sotheby's
    Sell Your Fine Books & Manuscripts
    Sotheby’s: Thomas Taylor | The original cover art for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Sold: 1,920,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: Machiavelli | Il Principe, a previously unrecorded copy of the book where modern political thought began. Sold: 576,000 GBP
    Sotheby’s: Leonardo da Vinci | Trattato della pittura, ca. 1639, a very fine pre-publication manuscript. Sold: 381,000 GBP
    Sotheby’s: Henri Matisse | Jazz, Paris 1947, the complete portfolio. Sold: 312,000 EUR
  • Rose City Book & Paper Fair
    June 14-15, 2025
    1000 NE Multnomah, Portland
    ROSECITYBOOKFAIR.COM

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