This Just In: William Donnison's Legal Account Book

We recently acquired the legal account book of William Donnison of Boston, Massachusetts. Between 1810 and 1822, Donnison kept records of the legal work he performed for people, as well as a list of his Boston dwellings and office locations. The notebook is 124 pages long, bound in thick paper wrappers, and is in very good condition. Among the Boston luminaries mentioned in his entries is John Quincy Adams.

New Virtual Exhibit of Law-Related Ephemera

Please visit our virtual exhibit of legal ephemera! The Daniel R. Coquillette Rare Book Room owns a small collection of law-related ephemera, including postcards, advertisements, sheet music and the like. These items serve as colorful reminders of the pervasiveness and power of law and legal imagery in our society. Most of these items are gifts from Michael H. Hoeflich, who also wrote the captions for nearly all of the images shown here.

Colonial Boston Newspaper Arrives in the Rare Book Room

We recently acquired a four-page issue of the Boston Chronicle, a pre-Revolutionary newspaper with Loyalist leanings. The issue is dated Thursday, May 25 to Monday, May 29, 1769. During this period the newspaper reported extensively on the debate between England and the American Colonies on the issue of taxation. The first page of this issue contains a lengthy response to an earlier argument by Dr. Franklin in favor of the Colonies. Here, the author argued that all of England's subjects, wherever they are situated, must pay the taxes ordered by Parliament whether or not the subjects consent to the tax. The paper also contains legal notices, including news of a Philadelphia man who was sentenced to death for rape; a report of a theft from the ship Nancy; creditors' claims against an insolvent man's estate; and a notice of divorce. Other items include announcements of a Wednesday night concert (admission: one-half dollar), news from Philadelphia and London, reports of ships arriving and departing, and notices of sales of wine, clothing, and books.

This Just In: Manuscript Copy of Craig's Ius Feudale

We recently received a magnificent manuscript copy of Thomas Craig's Ius Feudale from Michael H. Hoeflich. Originally published in 1603, the Ius Feudale solidified the idea of a separate body of Scotch law. It takes its place in our collection alongside other important Scottish legal works such as the Regiam Majestatem. 

This manuscript, beautifully bound in speckled calf leather with delicate floral borders tooled along the spine, probably dates from the seventeenth century. It was written by an unknown person who had probably gotten hold of an early printed edition of the work, and wanted to make a copy for himself or herself. 

We are most grateful to Professor Hoeflich for this remarkable gift. 

New Acquisition: Manuscript Account Book of Asa Holten

We have just received a wonderful legal manuscript: the account book of lawyer Asa Holten. Holten (1786-1841) kept this book from 1814 to 1841. His Claremont, New Hampshire practice was wide-ranging, as the entries in this book show, and included litigation work, settling estates, drafting documents, collecting debts, and appearing in court on a wide variety of subject matters. 

This special book takes its place in our growing collection of legal documents and manuscripts, which was begun a few years ago with a large gift of manuscripts from Robert E.  Brooker III. This book was purchased with funds donated by Mr. Brooker. 

New Exhibit: A Law Student Collects - Simon Greenleaf and Michael Morales

You are invited to view a selection of rare books and documents by and about lawyer, scholar, and law professor Simon Greenleaf, drawn primarily from the collection of Michael Morales, BC Law class of 2009.

Michael first became interested in collecting works by Simon Greenleaf while working as a research assistant for Professor Daniel R. Coquillette during the summer of 2007. As a member of BC Law’s Law and Religion Program, Michael was particularly interested in Greenleaf because much of his work combined both law and religion. Michael was also fascinated by Greenleaf because he was an early American legal educator.

Highlights of the exhibit are available here. It will remain on view through early June 2009.

New Book: A Working Lawyer's Life

Drawing from material in the Daniel R. Coquillette Rare Book Room, BC Law's Curator of Rare Books / Collection Development Librarian Karen S. Beck has published a book: A Working Lawyer's Life: The Letter Book of John Henry Senter 1879-1884.

Senter (1848-1916) was a lawyer who practiced in the small town of Warren, Vermont. His letter book was donated to the BC Law Library by Professor Emeritus Richard G. Huber. The letter book contains 326 letters copied between April 1879 and 1884, which record his business dealings, goals and thoughts. Richly detailed and often frank, these letters take us into the world of a small-town lawyer in the late nineteenth century. They introduce us to his clients, the legal matters he addressed, the way he ran his business and his daily difficulties (such as clients who failed to pay their bills).

This book has two parts. The first part is a biography of Senter and a history of his practice. The second is a transcription of the letter book.