Three bound manuscript record books of Giles's legal practice in South Jersey, 1788-1822. Each volume bound in contemporary reversed sheep, boards with blind decorative rolls

GILES, JAMES (1760-1825). Three bound manuscript registers kept by Giles to record the details of his legal practice in South Jersey, 1788-1822. Each volume bound in contemporary reversed sheep, boards with blind decorative rolls around the perimeters and along the edges, spines with gilt red morocco labels and volume numbers. Giles's armorial bookplate, engraved by Peter Rushton Maverick, is on each pastedown. Boards lightly scuffed around the extremities, else unusually fine inside and out.

James Giles was a New York native and Revolutionary War veteran who married a sister of Joseph Bloomfield and moved to Bridgeton, where he became one of that town's most distinguished residents. His elegant home, which still stands, was said to contain the largest library in South Jersey. The volumes are: (1) "Gloucester Register, no. 1," 1788-1822; (2) "Cape-May Register, no. 2," 1805-1822; (3) "Supreme Court Register, no. 2," 1804-1822." Prominent South Jersey antiquarian Carl M. Williams once owned all six of Giles's law registers. Williams sold these three (and perhaps all six) to prominent American decorative arts collector Eddy Nicholson. These three appeared in Nicholson's sale ca. 2012, where I purchased them. I had always hoped the other three would appear some day in the market, but to date they have not.--J. J. Felcone, 7/2026.