(Hamilton, Alexander)

A Digest of Adjudged Cases in the Court of King's Bench from the Revolution to the Present Period ... by a Gentleman of Lincoln's Inn. London: Printed by W. Strahan and M. Woodfall for G. Kearsly and G. Robinson, 1775



Folio (13 13/4 x 8 3/4 in.; 349 x 222 mm). Title-page remargined, repairs to margins and corners of preliminaries (pi2–b2), moderate foxing and browning, scattered staining in quire 7H, a few short marginal tears. Tan buckram, dark brown calf spine lettered gilt. Grey linen portfolio.

Alexander Hamilton (signature on title-page, E2v, Ee2r, 4D1r, 6B1r) — Library of the New York Law Institute (stamps on title-page, pi2r, a1r, i2r, and B1r)

Goebel, LPAH 1:6–7, 851

Alexander Hamilton's copy, signed five times by him. He has also annotated "Writs" at 10C1v ("Alias")  and in the margin of 10D1v, he has written "Process before cause of action." There are also thirty markings for entries in the text such as "Bills of Exchange," "Condition," "Damages," "Executors & Administrators," "Trial." The markings in "Maritime Affairs" are the most frequent and carry more emphasis than elsewhere in the text.  As a lawyer in a busy seaport, Hamilton dealt with innumerable suits over bills of exchange and maritime insurance. While cases involving maritime insurance claims, maritime liens, civil salvage, bottomry bonds, prizes, laws of impost, contracts, bills and notes, creditors' rights, trespass, debt and ejectment and the like did not demand an exalted level of professional skill, they did constitute the bread and butter of most prosperous law practices, with Hamilton's being no exception. He was, in fact,  the highest paid lawyer in New York at the time.

No inventory of Hamilton's law library has ever been found. The most extensive list of his books (a total of ten works) is contained in a circular letter he issued in 1795 when he returned to his practice in 1795. Only four law texts from his library have surfaced at auction in the past thirty years.