L12404

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Lot 48
  • 48

Stanford, Sir William.

Estimate
2,000 - 3,000 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • Les Plees del Coron, diuisees in plusors titles & comen lieux...nouuelment reueu et corrigee. Richard Totell, [1574]
  • PAPER
title within pictorial woodcut border designed by Hans Cranach showing Midas and Venus  [McKerrow & Ferguson 139]; [bound with:] An exposition of the Kinges Prerogative collected out of the great Abridgement of Justice Fitzherbert, and other olde Writers of the laws of England... Richard Tottle, [1573];  4to (198 x 138mm.), 2 works in one volume, contemporary blind-stamped calf, rebacked, some ink-stains, some browning

Provenance

Henry Tilston, two ownership signatures and note of the book's purchase on 15 November 1604 for 12 shillings, on title page of first work (probably Henry Tilston of Cheshire, b. 1589, matriculated Brasenose 1600, Barrister-at-Law, Inner Temple, 1610)

Literature

STC 23222, 23215

Condition

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, when appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

The fourth and third editions respectively of the judge and legal writer's two most famous works, sometimes still cited in the courts today. Les Plees del Coron was the first legal textbook in England to adopt the practice of citing specific authorities for every proposition, and "as such had a major influence on legal literature" (Oxford DNB).

The volume provides exceptional detail on the reading and studying habits of Elizabethan law-students through its extensive annotations by its early owner, Henry Tilston. The annotations include underlinings of important phrases, summaries and paraphrases, dates of cases cited, and cross-references to other legal texts. There are also additional notes on the endpapers in a combination of English, Latin, and law French. Tilston seems to have read the volume cover to cover and he even records the date he completed the two books, writing the date 1 February at the end of the Plees and "24 february 1604 [ie. 1604/5]" next to "Finis" at the end of the Exposition.