Commentaries on the Laws of England

London: W. Strahan and T. Cadell, 1769. First Edition. three-quarter polished calf over marbled boards. Very Good. FIRST EDITIONS OF ALL FOUR VOLUMES OF THE BOOK THAT FIRST MADE LAW INTELLIGIBLE TO THE ORDINARY PERSON. HEAVILY INFLUENCED THE FOUNDERS OF THE UNITED STATES. First edition set of all four volumes of Sir William Blackstone's classic Commentaries on the Laws of England, "the cornerstone of the legal edifice of the Anglo-American world." (Printing and the Mind of Man). Blackstone's "Commentaries" stands as a seminal work of legal scholarship, its influence extended across the Atlantic, profoundly shaping legal education and practice in the newly formed United States. The Founders of the United States drew heavily upon Blackstone's principles in crafting the nation's legal framework.

Provenance: David M. Solinger's copy, with presentation card in envelope affixed to front pastedown of volume 1. Gift for his 50th birthday (1956). Solinger was a lawyer, art collector, and president of the Whitney Museum of American Art. Solinger was the first president of the museum who was not a member of the Whitney family.

London: W. Strahan and T. Cadell, 1765-1769. Quarto (266 x 208 mm). c.1900 three-quarter tan polished calf over marbled boards by Baynton (Riviere), with their binder's stamp; raised bands, leather spine labels. Some joints cracked, but reinforced and now holding securely, occasional foxing/toning; a few small repaired marginal closed tears. Complete with the two engraved tables (one folding) in volume 2. A handsome wide-margined first edition set, bound by Bayntun.