•  Shaw & Shoemaker 10485. Contemporary speckled sheep, worn and abraded; back cover with slices to leather, title label on spine almost entirely rubbed away. One leaf torn; pages age-toned throughout, with staining/spotting. Back pastedown with calligraphy practice inked in an early hand.

Provenance: Front pastedown with bookplate of Burton W.F. Trafton, Jr.’s library at Old Fields in South Berwick, ME; pastedown also with binder’s ticket from Crawford & Stockbridge of Concord, NH. Front fly-leaf with inked gift inscription dated Christmas, 1887.

•  Publisher’s brown cloth, front cover with gilt-stamped title and dark brown–stamped decorative bands, bottom band labelled “Christmas 1887"; corners and spine extremities rubbed, binding showing very little wear otherwise. First two signatures with sewing loosening; pages very slightly age-toned but otherwise clean.

Click the images for enlargements.

The work contains 48 letters on the nature of legal study, with advice for the law student on topics as diverse as cultivating a classical learning, the relevance of philosophy and history to the study of law, the dangers of indulging in “general literature,” overcoming deficiencies and handling discouragement, eloquence, integrity, memory, study habits and the importance of a good work ethic, working in an attorney's office — etc.

Raithby (1766–1826) was admitted a member of Lincoln's Inn on 26 January 1795, was subsequently called to the bar, and practiced law in the court of chancery.

Provenance:  Ownership marks of Samson Levy, Esq., in several forms and places; pencilled signature of John M. Allen; several other signatures crossed out.

A note on the flyleaf says here, “Exchanged with my Friend R. Peters Esq. / This Day One I purchased of P. Byrne(?) bound in Calf - 20th Feb.y 1810.”

•  Shaw & Shoemaker 11238.   Contemporary sheep, spine with gilt-stamped decorations and title gilt-stamped on a black leather label. Binding rubbed/worn with spine leather chipped/cracking, front cover off and back joint cracked/weak. Ink marks and writing on title-page and facing (blank) page. Variable foxing, annotations as above, a few brief passages highlighted with marginal ink-rules.  (7455)

Presentation copy: Inked presentation inscription of E.B. Washburne on p. 1.

•  Recent speckled brown wrappers. Some shallow chipping and tears. Neat, handsome old library rubber-stamps.

This work is rarely found in the deluxe binding: The handsomely gilt-stamped publisher's cloth is the norm.

•  NSTC 2W24418; Allibone 2762.   For binding, see: Morris & Levin, Art of Publisher's Bookbindings, 44. Binding as above, showing minor wear to extremities and front cover vignette, original silk bookmark detached and laid in. Volume slightly shaken with text block starting to pull away from spine; this is the kind of volume that wants to do that, and the reader will want to “cradle” it in hand — that done, no worries. Front fly-leaf with early pencilled gift inscription and with aMAINE druggist's small ticket. Mild to moderate foxing. Both funny and decorative, in a publisher's binding that may fairly be called “DAZZLING.”  (26748)