Marvin's Legal Bibliography

by John Gage Marvin

LEGAL BIBLIOGRAPHY,

OR A

THESAURUS

OF

AMERICAN, ENGLISH, IRISH, AND SCOTCH

LAW BOOKS.

TOGETHER WITH SOME

CONTINENTAL TREATISES.

INTERSPERSED WITH

CRITICAL OBSERVATIONS

UPON THEIR VARIOUS EDITIONS AND AUTHORITY. TO WHICH IS PREFIXED

A COPIOUS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.

BY J. G. MARVIN,

COUNSELLOR AT LAW.

"Da veniam scriptis, quorum non gloria nobis

Causa, sed utilitas, officiumque, fuit."

Ovid ex Pont., III. 9, 55.

"Vous ne devez jamais lire an livre que vous ne sachiez quel en a été l'auteur, le temps auquel il a écrit, sa vie, l'estime qu'on en fait, et quelle en est la bonne impression."—Lami.

PHILADELPHIA:

T. & J. W. JOHNSON, LAW BOOKSELLERS,

No. 197 CHESNUT STREET.

1847.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1847, by

J. G. MARVIN,

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

PHILADELPHIA:

KING AND BAIRD, PRINTERS, NO. 9 GEORGE ST.

PREFACE.

I Have attempted, in the following pages, to collect the Titles of American, and most of the English, Irish, and Scotch Law Books, from the earliest period to 1847, together with such Continental Treatises as are generally referred to by the Bench and Bar of Great Britain and the United States. The labour was undertaken with the belief, that a work of this description was needed, and would be an acceptable offering to the legal Profession, in the United States, and to such Foreigners as are desirous of obtaining more ample information relative to the Bibliography of the Common Law, than has hitherto been collectively afforded. Whoever seeks in this volume for book rarities or editions characterized by some peculiarity which does not give them intrinsic value, will be disappointed. My object has been to notice only the best editions, to afford a practical, rather than a curious Manual, though, in this endeavour, I doubt not some editions of peculiar value have escaped my observation. With regard to the Law books of the United States, I trust, this volume will be found to contain a tolerably complete list. For this department of the work, in addition to the resources afforded by the ample Library of the Dane Law School, Gentlemen in various States have kindly rendered me material assistance, to whom I am under very great obligations, and without which many books of a local character would not have been included. While petty jealousies and differences of opinion prevail among members of other Professions, those of the Law are happily united, and make it a common cause to assist each other in advancing their common studies, and pursuits, and the instances are extremely rare where this reciprocal feeling does not exist.

Through the politeness of the Honourable Edward Everett, President of Harvard University, and of Dr. Harris, Librarian of the same, the free use of the College Library of this venerable seat of learning has been granted to me, and I should do injustice to my feelings, did I not here acknowledge the indispensable aid derived by this favour. The very liberal manner in which the use of books is granted at this University, the admirable order and condition in which they are kept, and the conveniences for consulting them, are worthy of imitation, and will be fully appreciated by those who have had occasion to make researches at other Libraries, where quite a different regime prevails. To J. W. Wallace, Esq., I am also indebted for some notes and references, and for access to the Library of the Law Association of Philadelphia, of which this gentleman is Librarian. The alphabetical arrangement of Authors, though not in accordance with several standard Continental Bibliographical Treatises, was supposed to be more convenient for consultation, than a classification of them under subjects; therefore the former plan has been pursued as to the body of this work, and the latter as to the Index. By adopting this mode, a good many repetitions of Titles are avoided, though not all, for anonymous works in some instances have been inadvertently repeated. Notwithstanding considerable care has been used to make this volume accurate, upon a review, some few omissions of Titles have been discovered, and some erroneous dates, which, from the nature of the undertaking, it was hardly possible in a first edition to avoid. It will be my constant effort to make such corrections and additions as a further study of the subject may reveal and require, and I earnestly request that Gentlemen into whose hands the work may chance to come, will have the kindness to communicate to me through my publishers all mistakes and omitted Titles or Notes, which may be noticed, in order that they may be used in a future edition, provided the present should be sufficiently approved of, to require another. It was my intention to have inserted an Introduction explanatory of the judicial adoption and authority of Foreign works in our Courts, with some account of the Legislation upon the subject, and the authority of the Federal Court and State Reports in each other's tribunals, but the volume has already attained a size beyond the original estimate, and I do not feel at liberty to increase its expense by additional matter. "This is a vessel I confess ill and weakly built, yet doth it adventure into the vast Ocean of your censures; Gentlemen, who are Antiquarians, Lawyers, and Historians."

J. G. M.

Feb. 13th, 1847.