Essays Upon Several Subjects Concerning British Antiquities; Viz. I..

1749. A Distinguished Collection of Essays by Kames [Kames, Henry Home, Lord (1666-1782)]. Essays Upon Several Subjects Concerning British Antiquities; Viz. I. Introduction of the Feudal Law into Scotland. II. Constitution of Parliament. III. Honour. Dignity. IV. Succession or Descent. With an Appendix, Upon Hereditary and Indefeasible Right. Composed Ano M.DCC.XLV. London: Printed for M. Cooper, 1749. [iv], 217, [3] pp. With a final leaf of errata. Octavo (8-1/2" x 5"). Nineteenth-century calf, gilt rules enclosing blind fillets to boards, raised bands, gilt ornaments and lettering pieces to spine, gilt rules to board edges, gilt inside dentelles, marbled endpapers and edges, ribbon marker. A few minor scuffs to boards, some rubbing to extremities, hinges cracked. Light toning to text, faint dampspotting to lower margins of a few leaves, light soiling to title page. A handsome copy. $450. * Second edition. One of several distinguished contributions by Kames to legal scholarship--particularly in areas outside the common law tradition--and a successful book which passed through three later 18th century editions. Kames's first book, Essays Upon Several Subjects in Law (1732, not to be confused with the present work), revealed a flair for the study of Roman law, and his Historical Law Tracts (1758) a notable study in comparative law, assured his scholarly reputation on the Continent. First published in 1747, Essays Upon Several Subjects Concerning British Antiquities is a comparative study of the feudal, constitutional, and hereditary law of Scotland, with ample reference to English legal development and, to a lesser extent, Roman law. English Short-Title Catalogue T67129.