Difference between revisions of "Essay on the Law of Bailments"

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===by Sir William Jones===
 
===by Sir William Jones===
 
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<blockquote>In this little book, Jones gave an analytic, historical, comparative and synthetic view of the law of bailments, a subject still unsettled in the context of the common law forms of action. <ref> Johnson 114 (2 copies); S&M 1:240(28); Marvin 428; Holdsworth, HEL 12:393-394, 429; ESTC T69325. </ref></blockquote>
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Sir William Jones (1566-1650) spent some time at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furnival%27s_Inn Furnival's Inn] before being admitted to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln%27s_Inn Lincoln's Inn] in 1587. He was called to the bar in 1595. In 1617, he became [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serjeant_at_law serjeant-at-law] and was appointed chief justice of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Court_of_King%27s_Bench_%28Ireland%29 King's Bench] in Ireland. An appointment as justice to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Court_of_Common_Pleas_%28England%29 Court of Common Pleas] followed in 1621 and a transfer to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Court_of_King%27s_Bench_%28England%29 King's Bench] in 1624.<ref>Christopher W. Brooks, [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/15102 "Jones, Sir William (1566–1640)"], ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008, accessed 23 Sept 2013. (Subscription required for access.)</ref><br />
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''Essay on the Law of Bailments'', first published in 1781, has been described as "one of the most remarkable books" of its period in which "the author's knowledge of jurisprudence, Roman law, Greek law, Mohammedan law, Mosaic law, Hindu law, and Visigothic law, is applied to elucidate its underlaying principles."<ref>William Holdsworth, ''A History of English Law'' (London: Methuen & Co., Sweet and Maxwell, 1938), 12:393.</ref> Another scholar, while noting that it "has ever been admired for its artistic and scholar-like finish", writes that "it possesses very great merits as a literary production, but moderate value as a legal work for the present day."<ref>J. G. Marvin, ''Legal Bibliography or a Thesaurus of American, English, Irish, and Scotch Law Books'' (Philadelphia: T. & J. W. Johnson, Law Booksellers, 1847), 429.</ref>  
  
 
==Bibliographic Information==
 
==Bibliographic Information==
 
'''Author:''' Sir William Jones
 
'''Author:''' Sir William Jones
  
'''Title:''' An Essay on the Law of Bailments
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'''Title:''' ''An Essay on the Law of Bailments''.
  
 
'''Published:''' London: C. Dilly, 1781.  
 
'''Published:''' London: C. Dilly, 1781.  
  
'''Edition:'''
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'''Edition:''' First edition; 130 pages.
  
 
==Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library==
 
==Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library==
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[[Thomas Jefferson]] listed ''[L]aw of bailments. 8vo.'' in his [[Jefferson Inventory|inventory]] of [[Wythe's Library]] in the section of titles he kept for himself. Brown's Bibliography<ref>Bennie Brown, "The Library of George Wythe of Williamsburg and Richmond," (unpublished manuscript, May, 2012) Microsoft Word file. Earlier edition available at: https://digitalarchive.wm.edu/handle/10288/13433</ref> includes the 1796 edition published in Boston based on the copy Jefferson sold to the Library of Congress.<ref>E. Millicent Sowerby, ''Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson'', 2nd ed. (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1983), 2:309 [no.1982].</ref> This may be  Wythe's volume but the book includes no markings to verify Wythe's ownership. [http://www.librarything.com/profile/GeorgeWythe George Wythe's Library]<ref>''LibraryThing'', s. v. "Member: George Wythe," accessed on June 28, 2013, http://www.librarything.com/profile/GeorgeWythe </ref> on LibraryThing lists the first edition (1781), but notes that the copy at the Library of Congress may be the proper edition.
  
 
==Description of the Wolf Law Library's copy==
 
==Description of the Wolf Law Library's copy==
 
Bound in contemporary calf, morocco label with author's name. Purchased from Nostre Livers.
 
Bound in contemporary calf, morocco label with author's name. Purchased from Nostre Livers.
  
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View this book in [https://catalog.swem.wm.edu/law/Record/3452341 this book in William & Mary's online catalog.]
 
===References===
 
===References===
 
<references/>
 
<references/>
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[[Category:Contracts]]
 
[[Category:Contracts]]
 
[[Category:George Wythe Collection at William & Mary's Wolf Law Library]]
 
[[Category:George Wythe Collection at William & Mary's Wolf Law Library]]
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[[Category:Possible Surviving Wythe Volumes]]
 
[[Category:Titles in Wythe's Library]]
 
[[Category:Titles in Wythe's Library]]

Revision as of 11:34, 23 September 2013

by Sir William Jones

Sir William Jones (1566-1650) spent some time at Furnival's Inn before being admitted to Lincoln's Inn in 1587. He was called to the bar in 1595. In 1617, he became serjeant-at-law and was appointed chief justice of the King's Bench in Ireland. An appointment as justice to the Court of Common Pleas followed in 1621 and a transfer to the King's Bench in 1624.[1]

Essay on the Law of Bailments, first published in 1781, has been described as "one of the most remarkable books" of its period in which "the author's knowledge of jurisprudence, Roman law, Greek law, Mohammedan law, Mosaic law, Hindu law, and Visigothic law, is applied to elucidate its underlaying principles."[2] Another scholar, while noting that it "has ever been admired for its artistic and scholar-like finish", writes that "it possesses very great merits as a literary production, but moderate value as a legal work for the present day."[3]

Bibliographic Information

Author: Sir William Jones

Title: An Essay on the Law of Bailments.

Published: London: C. Dilly, 1781.

Edition: First edition; 130 pages.

Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library

Thomas Jefferson listed [L]aw of bailments. 8vo. in his inventory of Wythe's Library in the section of titles he kept for himself. Brown's Bibliography[4] includes the 1796 edition published in Boston based on the copy Jefferson sold to the Library of Congress.[5] This may be Wythe's volume but the book includes no markings to verify Wythe's ownership. George Wythe's Library[6] on LibraryThing lists the first edition (1781), but notes that the copy at the Library of Congress may be the proper edition.

Description of the Wolf Law Library's copy

Bound in contemporary calf, morocco label with author's name. Purchased from Nostre Livers.

View this book in this book in William & Mary's online catalog.

References

  1. Christopher W. Brooks, "Jones, Sir William (1566–1640)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008, accessed 23 Sept 2013. (Subscription required for access.)
  2. William Holdsworth, A History of English Law (London: Methuen & Co., Sweet and Maxwell, 1938), 12:393.
  3. J. G. Marvin, Legal Bibliography or a Thesaurus of American, English, Irish, and Scotch Law Books (Philadelphia: T. & J. W. Johnson, Law Booksellers, 1847), 429.
  4. Bennie Brown, "The Library of George Wythe of Williamsburg and Richmond," (unpublished manuscript, May, 2012) Microsoft Word file. Earlier edition available at: https://digitalarchive.wm.edu/handle/10288/13433
  5. E. Millicent Sowerby, Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson, 2nd ed. (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1983), 2:309 [no.1982].
  6. LibraryThing, s. v. "Member: George Wythe," accessed on June 28, 2013, http://www.librarything.com/profile/GeorgeWythe