[VIRGINIA - KENT, JAMES]
WASHINGTON, BUSHROD. Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Court of Appeals of Virginia. Richmond: Thomas Nicolson, 1798-99. First edition, James Kent's copy with his signatures to the title of both volumes and 6 pages of manuscript in his hand to the endleaves. Two volumes. 20th century cloth. 8 x 4 1/2 inches (20.5 x 12 cm ); [10], 392, [30] pp., the errata bound at front; [8], 302, [2], 19 pp. Stamps to titles, short tear to title of volume II near Kent's signature, the leaves toned and with intermittent spotting but generally a clean and unmarked copy, one leaf in volume II with a tape repair.
A fine association copy. The manuscript notes by Kent to the endleaves of the first volume discuss Edmund Pendleton, a delegate to the first Continental Congress who had also been President of the Virginia Constitutional Convention in 1788 and to whom Washington has dedicated the work (Kent writes "his great age is the only apology for the madness of his reveries..."). The notes to the second volume describe the court system in Virginia at the time and mentions a few of the cases within. Evans 34598; 36670; Sabin 100038.