The Law of Railways, Including the Three General Consolidation Acts..

1846. One of the First Three Treatises on Railway Law Shelford, Leonard [1795-1864]. The Law of Railways, Including the Three General Consolidation Acts, 1845, And the Other General Acts, For Regulating Railways in England and Ireland, With Copious Notes of Decided Cases; Also the Proceedings in Parliament, Respecting Railway Bills, With Forms &c. Considerably Enlarged. London: Henry Butterworth, 1846 xxxviii, 723, [3] pp. Folding pan. 12mo. (7-1/4" x 4-1/4"). Original paper-covered boards, rebacked retaining original printed spine label, hinges mended. Light soiling, a few minor marks and spots to boards, some rubbing to extremities with wear to corners. Light toning, light foxing in a few places. A nice copy. $150. * Second edition. This is one of the first three treatises on the subject, all published in 1845. (The other two are Statute Law Related to Railways by Sir William Hodges and The Law of Railways by Frederick Walford). Shelford's appears to have been the best-received of the three, and it went through two more editions in 1853 and 1869. (Walford had one later edition, Hodges did not have any.) Shelford was a prolific author and expert on property law and corporations. Maxwell, A Legal Bibliography of the British Commonwealth 2:324.