Commentaries on the Laws of England.

Commentaries on the Laws of England.

Oxford:

Clarendon Press,

1766-69

Second edition of Volumes I and II, first edition of Volumes III and IV.

One of the greatest achievements in legal history, Blackstone’s Commentaries was instrumental in defining the vast body of English law and establishing common law as the basis of the American legal system. Read by all of the key Framers, Burke told Parliament that “I hear that they have sold nearly as many of Blackstone’s Commentaries in America as in England.” A first American edition was displayed at The Grolier Club in the Autumn 2024 exhibition Abraham Lincoln: His Life in Print.

From the Collection of Kyle Shephard

William Blackstone.

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