Observations on the Nature of Civil Liberty, the Principles of Government, and the Justice and Policy of the War with America.

   Presidential Power over Personal Liberty.  A Review of Horace Binney’s Essay on the Writ of Habeas Corpus.

(American Revolution) Price, Richard, Observations on the Nature of Civil Liberty, the Principles of Government, and the Justice and Policy of the War with America. To which are added, an Appendix and Postscript, Containing a State of the National Debt, an Estimate of the Money drawn from the Public by Taxes, and an Account of the National Income and Expenditure since the Last War… The Eighth Edition, newly corrected by the Author.

Edinburgh: [By Permission of the Author] Printed for J. Wood and J. Dickson, 1776, octavo, 94 pp., complete with half-title. Removed from bound volume, text browned, else very good.

An important work, published early in the year of American independence. The preface to the First edition (reprinted in this eighth edition) is dated Feb. 8, 1776; the preface to this edition follows and is dated March 26^th, 1776. It was reprinted in Britain in at least 13 editions, in America it was reprinted at Philadelphia, Boston, New York, and Charleston, in 1776. It also appeared in French and German editions in 1776 and 1777.

Sabin 65452; Adams American Controversy 76-118r; Howes P-586, noting: “Price, intimate friend of Franklin, was the most influential British advocate of American independence.” For this work, the Catalogue of the John Carter Brown Library quotes the Monthly Review: “The author of these observations must be ranked among the most respectable writers on the affairs of America. He does not attempt to engage our attention by the specious and flaming declamation of a party zealot, or the factious invective and rant of modern patriotism. In him we see the warm pleader united with the sound reasoner, the intelligent politician, and (above all) the independent man, the uninfluenced friend of his country.” JCB, Nos. 2304-2309. See also, Dictionary of National Biography XVI:334-37                                                                 

Price: $450.00

(Law) [Myer, Isaac, Jr., attributed] Presidential Power Over Personal Liberty. A Review of Horace Binney’s Essay on the Writ of Habeas Corpus.

[Np] Imprinted for the Author, 1862, octavo, 94 pp., errata slip, removed from bound volume, lacking wrappers, else a very good clean copy.

Sabin 548

Price: $100.00

Augustinus, Aurelius, De la Cita d’Dio

The First Edition in Italian, or any other non-classical language, of the principal work of St. Augustine, the first Christian philosophy of history, an argument for grace, and a defense of Christianity, written in the early 5^th century partly in response to the pagan theory that Rome had fallen to Alaric because of the prohibition on heathen worship. For many, St. Augustine’s writings served for centuries as the appropriate alternative to the Dominican system advocated by Aquinas.

[Venice: Antonio de Bartolommeo (Miscomini), circa 1476-1478] folio, 322 (of 324) unnumbered leaves with table at rear, Roman letter, double-column text of 47 lines, spaces for hand colored initials, leaf numbers supplied in light ink for first two thirds of text, several leaves re-margined and perhaps supplied from another copy. Text quite good, some light age toning, minor stain at top margin of first 90 leaves, coloring of initials still strong, few minor marginal notations and designs. Textually complete lacking only the original single blank leaves at front and rear. Early 19^th century calf spine, recently re-backed, and paste-paper covered boards, housed in a recent half morocco clamshell box.  Goff A-1248; BMC VII 1136; HC 2071; Pell 7564; GW 2892,
Inventory #15553

                                                                                                                         SOLD!   

Porte-Feuille D’Un Talon Rouge. Contenant des Anecdotes galantes & Secretes de la cour de France.

Paris: De l’Imprimerie du Comte de Parades, L’an 178*, first edition, 12mo, 42 pp., old plain paper wrappers, uncut, some very minor wear, else a very good, clean copy. First edition of this rare account of hypocrisy, sexual promiscuity, gambling and graft at the court of Marie Antoinette, sometimes attributed to the Comte de Parades. “Elle est d’une excessive rarete, les exemplaires ayant ete en partie detruits.” – Gay III, 821; Tourneaux IV, 21047

$ 1250.00