Commentaries on the Laws of England. In Four Books + An Interesting Appendix. by BLACKSTONE, Sir William - 1771-73

Philadelphia: Printed for the subscribers, By Robert Bell, at the late Union Library, 1771-73. First American Edition . Leatherbound. Very good. Reprinted from the British copy, Page for Page with the Last Edition. 5 vols.: ii, [6], 485; [8], 520, xix; [8], 455, [1], xxvii; [30], 436, vii, [40]; iv, 119, xii, 155, [1] p. 24 cm. Table of Consanguinity and fold-out Table of Descents in vol. II. Set respined by Keith Felton, Georgetown, Ontario, with raised bands and gilt trim. Original boards with repaired corners. Original endpapers with signatures preserved (including that of Jm. Fiske and family members, 1800s). Moderate foxing throughout. Occasional page chips may be paper defects. Occasional professional repairs to page edges. Vol. III includes the publisher's advertisement "To the Encouragers of Literature" pasted to leaf preceding title page announcing publication of "An Interesting Appendix to the Commentaries." 4 p. of publisher's ads preceding title page in Vol. I.

William Blackstone's Commentaries, first published in England 1765-69, were so popular that they were translated into multiple languages and even made their way to the colonies. This pre-Revolutionary American edition contains a 22-page subscriber list in Volume IV; first on the list is John Adams. Three pages of bookseller Robert Bell's advertisements are included at the beginning of vol. I, as well as a page in vol. III, p. 456. Another advertisement is pasted opposite the title page in vol. III. The scarce Appendix volume (Vol. V) consists of I. Priestley's Remarks on Some Paragraphs in the Fourth Volume of Blackstone's Commentaries. II. Blackstone's Reply to Priestley's Remarks. III. Priestley's Answer to Blackstone's Reply. IV. The Case of the Late Election of the County of Middlesex Considered. V. Furneaux's Letters to the Hon. Mr. Justice Blackstone Concerning his Exposition of the Act of Toleration. VI. Authentic Copies of the Argument of the late Hon. Mr. Justice Foster in the Court of Judges Delegates.