Rare Book Room opens and closes . . .

On December 8, the Rare Book Room will be closed in the morning for cleaning and a tour. It will open around 12:30 p.m. And on Thursday December 11, the room will close at around 2 p.m. to prepare for a reception. It will reopen at 9 a.m. the following morning.

As always, we regret any inconvenience to our visitors.

New Arrival: A Rare 18th-Century Boston Court Docket

Boston 18th Century Court Docket: Boston Court by Adjournment to 3 Dec. 1788. A rare survival of an 18th century Boston court docket. A number of cases are listed in this 11-page manuscript, as well as notes about them, possibly written by a judge or justice of the peace. We got this at the Boston Antiquarian Book Fair, a terrific place to view rare books, manuscripts, and art - and to meet and mingle with like-minded people. 

New Arrival: John Remsen's Manuscript Cash Book

The Law Library has just acquired a fascinating manuscript account book dating from the 1790s. John H. Remsen, a solicitor in New York City's Court of Chancery, kept daily accounts of the case transactions associated with his law practice in this 246-page account book. Remsen made loans to Aaron Burr and John Jay, and conducted transactions for James Roosevelt and many of the New York Dutch families. The account book provides a fascinating glimpse into New York in the 1790s, as well as the daily life of a working lawyer.
This manuscript complements an outstanding collection of early American legal and land use documents given to the library in 2003 by Robert E. Brooker III. This account book was purchased with funds donated by Mr. Brooker.

On View: "A Little Library" - The Private Law Library of Frank Williams Oliver

Please join us in the Daniel R. Coquillette Rare Book Room to view our newest exhibit: “A Little Library” – the Private Law Library of Frank Williams Oliver. Highlights include a magnificent German Bible from 1693; a book that once belonged to Clarence Darrow; a rare first edition of Webster’s Dictionary, dated 1828; . . . and Frank Oliver’s delightful bookplate, shown here. The exhibit will remain on view through early December 2008. View highlights and more here. 

Welcome!

Welcome to The Daniel R. Coquillette Rare Book Room Blog. I'm Karen Beck, Curator of Rare Books at the Boston College Law Library, home of the Daniel R. Coquillette Rare Book Room. Here you will find news and photos about events, exhibits, and recent acquisitions. Please visit often, virtually and - even better - in person. See you in the Rare Book Room!