LAWS OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA (4 volumes)
Philadelphia and Lancaster: Hall and Sellers (and) Francis Bailey, 1797. Hardcover. See Comments. See Comments. All cover leather exhibits scuffing. Sold W.A.F. Item #166596
Four volumes, bound in leather. Volume 1 (1797): front and rear hinges broken, cords holding firm, five raised-bands, applied red leather title in 2nd compartment and small applied red leather name tag at base of spine (John H. Weiss) appears to have been added later. Volume 2 (1793): Similarly bound to Vol. 1, hinges intact, minor tear to leather at top of spine. Vol. 3 (1795): Similarly bound to Vols. 1+2, hinges intact, cord broken away at top of spine. Tear resulting in missing part of upper right title-page with loss of part of letter "s" in word "Laws" in title. This volume seems to be the amalgamation of several different publications, with several non-sequentially dated title-pages, but continuous pagination, as described in more detail by others. Volume 4 *may* be missing a title-page, as it is so labelled "Laws of Pennsylvania" and "4" on the spine, but the first title-page we come upon is for "Acts of The General Assembly..." dated 1796. Other section were printed in Lancater, PA by Francis Bailey, and it is his imprint that is on the missing title-page. It is similarly bound to the first three volumes, with broken front and rear hinges and cords holding fairly firmly on rear hinge front cover off. Evidence of old red tape along front hinge entire length, old cellophane tape piece holding part of spine label which has broken away from book. This volume, like 3, seems to be an aggregation of different publications with several title-pages. Signature of John Ross (possibly the American Patriot, but more likely John Ross (b. Solebury, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, February 24, 1770 – d. Easton, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, January 31, 1834), was a Representative to the U.S. Congress from Pennsylvania.) at top of title-page. These volumes are very likely derived from the library of JOHN H. WEISS, who was described as follows by Judge Homer L. Kreider in 1952: (he) was appointed March 14, 1899 to succeed Judge McPherson. Prior to that time as a member of the firm of Weiss and Gilbert, he had enjoyed a large and important practice. He was a hard-working, painstaking judge, who took his work very seriously and, at the same time, saw the funny side of things and enjoyed a joke, even at his own expense. On one occasion a member of the bar (not of the first rank) had been persistently arguing an untenable proposition. The judge finally said, "The Court knows a little law." Whereupon the retort was, "That’s the only thing your honor and I agree upon this morning." Judge Weiss lost none of his affable, genial disposition by assuming judicial honors. Upon the death of Judge Simonton in 1903 he was appointed President Judge in which position he served until his death, November 22, 1905. Judge Weiss although for nearly a quarter of a century Chairman of the Republican Committee of Dauphin County, never held public office until his appointment to the Bench. He was the father of John Fox Weiss, who was District Attorney of Dauphin County at the time of the trial of the famous Capitol Graft Cases.
Price: $1,200.00