Questions et Responses sur les Coustumes de Berry: Avec les Arrests..

1660. with Interesting Contemporary Annotations. with Interesting Contemporary Annotations. Commentary on the Coutume of Berry with Interesting Contemporary Annotations Thaumas de la Thaumassiere, Gaspard [1631-1702]. Questions et Responses sur les Coustumes de Berry. Avec les Arrests et Iugemens Rendus en Interpretation d'Icelles. Divisees en Deux Centuries. Bourges: Chez Jean Chaudiere, 1660-1661. Two volumes in one book. [xviii], 276 [i.e. 278], [2]; [viii], 312 pp. Quarto (8-3/4" x 6-1/2"). Contemporary mottled calf, raised bands and lettering piece to spine, gilt decoration to compartments, later shelf labels to head of spine. Moderate rubbing and a few shallow scuffs to boards, which are slightly bowed, a few small stains to rear board, rubbing to extremities, joints starting at ends, chipping to head of spine, corners bumped and worn, brief annotation (shelfmark?) to front pastedown. Woodcut head-pieces, tail-pieces and initials. Light toning to interior, occasional light foxing, clean tears to edges of several leaves, mended on leaf F3 (pp. 45-46) of second volume, affecting text on that leaf only without loss to legibility, minor worming to right margin beginning on p. 211 of first volume and extending through second volume, just touching a few annotations without loss to legibility, light soiling and finger smudges to a few leaves, faint dampstaining to pp. 265-312 of second volume, occasional annotations throughout in an early hand. $1,850. * First edition. Berry, located in central France, is known as the birthplace of several kings and members of the French royal family. First codified in 1540, its customary law was influenced deeply by Roman law. This work is an important commentary on its coutume by the French jurisconsult, historian and numismatist Gaspard Thaumas de La Thaumassiere. The fourth and final edition appeared in 1694. Our copy contains interesting annotations discussing later case law and comparing the author's remarks to other commentaries. For instance, one note discusses a 1672 judgment in the case of "Madame la Princesse de Guemene" where customary law took precedence over Roman law. Other notes cite the Journal du Palais and commentaries on the customary law of Orleans, Paris and Rheims, among other sources. OCLC locates 6 copies of the first edition, 2 in North America (George Washington University Law School, Harvard Law School). This ed.