![[KENT, James (1763-1847)]. A COLLECTION OF TEN PAMPHLETS FROM THE LIBRARY OF JAMES KENT, American jurist and legal scholar, first professor of law at Columbia University, chief justice of the New York Supreme Court, and Chancellor of New York; with one volume from his father's library. Together 11 volumes. Various octavo sizes. Various 20th-century quarter morocco or calf bindings, generally in fine condition. COMPRISING:](https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2012/NYR/2012_NYR_02622_0073_000(kent_james_a_collection_of_ten_pamphlets_from_the_library_of_james_ken080439).jpg?w=1)
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[KENT, James (1763-1847)]. A COLLECTION OF TEN PAMPHLETS FROM THE LIBRARY OF JAMES KENT, American jurist and legal scholar, first professor of law at Columbia University, chief justice of the New York Supreme Court, and Chancellor of New York; with one volume from his father's library. Together 11 volumes. Various octavo sizes. Various 20th-century quarter morocco or calf bindings, generally in fine condition. COMPRISING:
[HAMILTON, Alexander]. A Second Letter from Phocion to the Considerate Citizens of New-York. Containing remarks on Mentor's Reply. New York: Samuel London, 1784. FIRST EDITION of Hamilton's reply to Isaac Ledyard's criticism of his initial letter. Throughout the debate over what to do with Tory property, Hamilton advocated justice and toleration and believed the treaty of peace in 1783 established precedence over all state laws. SIGNED BY KENT on the title and dated 1797, his manuscript identification of Hamilton's authorship on title, notes on blank verso of final leaf. Evans 18516; Ford 15; Howes H-124; Sabin 29964.
[IVERNOIS, François d']. Authentic History of the Origin and Progress of the Late Revolution in Geneva. Philadelphia: Mountford, Bioren & Co., 1794. FIRST AMERICAN EDITION, recounting the events which led to French hegemony over the Republic of Geneva. SIGNED BY KENT on the title and dated 1794, and with one page of his manuscript notes on title verso. Evans 27159.
[OSWALD, Eleazer]. Letters of Franklin, on the Conduct of the Executive, and the Treaty Negociated. Philadelphia: E. Oswald, 1795. FIRST EDITION. Oswald, the publisher of the Independent Gazetteer, translated these pseudonymous letters from the French for the readers of his newspaper. They strongly criticize the Jay Treaty, claiming that it was devised without the advice of Congress. Kent was a strong supporter of John Jay. SIGNED BY KENT on the title. Evans 29256; Howes O-138; Sabin 25640.
[COBBETT, William]. A Little Plain English, Addressed to the People of the United States, on the Treaty Negociated with His Britannic Majesty, and on the Conduct of the President Relative Thereto. Philadelphia: Thomas Bradford, 1795. Half-title. FIRST EDITION. Cobbett gives a strong, detailed defense of Jay's Treaty, which was under attack, in this reply to Eleazer Oswald's Letters of Franklin. SIGNED BY KENT on the title. Evans 28437; Gaines 7a; Howes C-521; Sabin 13895.
HAMILTON, Alexander. Report of the Secretary of the Treasury, for the Improvement and Better Management of the Revenues of the United States. Philadelphia: Francis Child, 1795. FIRST EDITION of the last official document written by Hamilton. Offering specific recommendations regarding import duties and taxation, it was signed by him on the very day he resigned as Secretary of the Treasury. SIGNED BY KENT on the title, and note about Hamilton's resignation at end. Evans 29773; Ford 268.
[BIDWELL, Barnabas]. The Susquehannah Title Stated and Examined. Catskill: Mackay Croswell, 1796. FIRST EDITION of this comprehensive review of the Connecticut claim to lands in Pennsylvania. "Especially worthwhile for its discussion of the decision by the Commissioners of the Conferation [sic] made at Trenton, New Jersey" (Streeter sale II:982). SIGNED BY KENT on the title and dated 1797, and with extensive notes on title verso on Barnabas Bidwell recorded variously by Kent ca 1810, 1832 and following Bidwell's career as a tutor at Yale, a student of Judge Sedgwick, a politician in Massachusetts and his disgrace in flight to Canada. Evans 30061; Howes B-431; Sabin 93937.
Instructions to the Envoys Extraordinary and Ministers Plenipotentiary from the United States of America to the French republic In conformity with the Resolution of Congress, of the 22nd June 1798. Philadelphia: W. Ross, [1798]. SIGNED BY KENT on the title and dated 1799. Evans 34838; Sabin 34870.
The Connecticut Gore Title, Stated and Considered. Hartford: Hudson & Goodwin, 1799. FIRST EDITION. A statement of Connecticut's claim to a long strip of land along the southwestern border of New York. SIGNED BY KENT on the title, and with his manuscript notes on title verso. Evans 35345; Howes C-678; Sabin 15681; Streeter sale II:887.
[JAY'S TREATY]. A Brief Statement of Opinions, Given in the Board of Commissioners, Under the Sixth Article of the Treaty with Great Britain. Philadelphia: James Humphreys, 1800. FIRST EDITION. Evans attributes the work to Thomas Fitzsimmons, but James Kent has cited Thomas MacDonald on the title-page as the author. A full page of Kent's notes on the report are on the blank verso of the final leaf. Evans 37428; Sabin 84842.
HAMILTON, Alexander. Letter from Alexander Hamilton, Concerning the Public Conduct and Character of John Adams, Esq. President of the United States. New York: John Lang, 1800. FIRST EDITION. SIGNED BY KENT on the title, with a brief note on title verso and several annotations in the text. Evans 37566; Howes H-116.
[With:]
[DWIGHT, Timothy]. A Discourse on the Genuineness and Authenticity of the New-Testament: Delivered at New Haven, September 10th, 1793, at the Annual Lecture. New York: George Bunce, 1794. FIRST EDITION. SIGNED BY MOSS KENT, father of James Kent, on the title and dated 1794. Evans 26924; Sabin 21549.
While a student at Yale, James Kent encountered a copy of Blackstone's Commentaries: "it inspired me at the age of 15 with awe, and I fondly determined to be a lawyer." In November 1781, shortly after graduating from Yale, Kent began preparation for the bar in Poughkeepsie, New York. "The small but rapidly growing town of Poughkeepsie shaped Kent's early career. Political differences among the revolutionary generation had been papered over during the war, but in the 1780s they were the basis for emerging political parties. Kent's penchant for order and his commercial orientation coincided with the values of New York's champions of the new federal constitution, such as John Jay, Benson, and Alexander Hamilton. The New York convention to ratify the Constitution met in Poughkeepsie during the summer of 1788, and Kent, an attentive spectator, was particularly impressed with Hamilton, whom he came to idolize, as indicated by a glowing tribute that Kent wrote on the latter's death. Similarly, he memorized the Federalist and wrote anonymous newspaper articles in support of the Constitution" (ANB).
A vigorous Federalist, Columbia College's Federalist-dominated board of trustees selected him to fill a new law professorship in December 1793. In 1798, he was appointed to New York's Supreme Court. Kent served as associate or puisne justice on the state supreme court until 1804, when he became chief justice. Arguably the most important case he heard was that regarding the steamboat monopoly that involved Robert Livingston and Robert Fulton.The volumes in the present collection come from this fertile period in Poughkeepsie and New York, and show Kent's active reading and annotating of current affairs. His annotations in the Brief Statement of Opinion about the Jay Treaty, for instance, record New York state expenses and finances as they relate to convicts. He records copious biographical details about Barnabas Bidwell in that author's The Susquehannah Title, and similarly in François d'Ivernois's pamphlet on Geneva.
In his later years, Kent's major work was in preparing the Commentaries on American Law. This work apparently began with his return to Columbia in January 1824, and the lectures for 1824-1825 composed the first two-volume edition. A subsequent edition was expanded to four volumes, and ultimately the work would go through fourteen editions in the nineteenth century. "Kent's Commentaries of American Law was of fundamental importance and still remains the foremost American institutional legal treatise" (DAB). (11)
[HAMILTON, Alexander]. A Second Letter from Phocion to the Considerate Citizens of New-York. Containing remarks on Mentor's Reply. New York: Samuel London, 1784. FIRST EDITION of Hamilton's reply to Isaac Ledyard's criticism of his initial letter. Throughout the debate over what to do with Tory property, Hamilton advocated justice and toleration and believed the treaty of peace in 1783 established precedence over all state laws. SIGNED BY KENT on the title and dated 1797, his manuscript identification of Hamilton's authorship on title, notes on blank verso of final leaf. Evans 18516; Ford 15; Howes H-124; Sabin 29964.
[IVERNOIS, François d']. Authentic History of the Origin and Progress of the Late Revolution in Geneva. Philadelphia: Mountford, Bioren & Co., 1794. FIRST AMERICAN EDITION, recounting the events which led to French hegemony over the Republic of Geneva. SIGNED BY KENT on the title and dated 1794, and with one page of his manuscript notes on title verso. Evans 27159.
[OSWALD, Eleazer]. Letters of Franklin, on the Conduct of the Executive, and the Treaty Negociated. Philadelphia: E. Oswald, 1795. FIRST EDITION. Oswald, the publisher of the Independent Gazetteer, translated these pseudonymous letters from the French for the readers of his newspaper. They strongly criticize the Jay Treaty, claiming that it was devised without the advice of Congress. Kent was a strong supporter of John Jay. SIGNED BY KENT on the title. Evans 29256; Howes O-138; Sabin 25640.
[COBBETT, William]. A Little Plain English, Addressed to the People of the United States, on the Treaty Negociated with His Britannic Majesty, and on the Conduct of the President Relative Thereto. Philadelphia: Thomas Bradford, 1795. Half-title. FIRST EDITION. Cobbett gives a strong, detailed defense of Jay's Treaty, which was under attack, in this reply to Eleazer Oswald's Letters of Franklin. SIGNED BY KENT on the title. Evans 28437; Gaines 7a; Howes C-521; Sabin 13895.
HAMILTON, Alexander. Report of the Secretary of the Treasury, for the Improvement and Better Management of the Revenues of the United States. Philadelphia: Francis Child, 1795. FIRST EDITION of the last official document written by Hamilton. Offering specific recommendations regarding import duties and taxation, it was signed by him on the very day he resigned as Secretary of the Treasury. SIGNED BY KENT on the title, and note about Hamilton's resignation at end. Evans 29773; Ford 268.
[BIDWELL, Barnabas]. The Susquehannah Title Stated and Examined. Catskill: Mackay Croswell, 1796. FIRST EDITION of this comprehensive review of the Connecticut claim to lands in Pennsylvania. "Especially worthwhile for its discussion of the decision by the Commissioners of the Conferation [sic] made at Trenton, New Jersey" (Streeter sale II:982). SIGNED BY KENT on the title and dated 1797, and with extensive notes on title verso on Barnabas Bidwell recorded variously by Kent ca 1810, 1832 and following Bidwell's career as a tutor at Yale, a student of Judge Sedgwick, a politician in Massachusetts and his disgrace in flight to Canada. Evans 30061; Howes B-431; Sabin 93937.
Instructions to the Envoys Extraordinary and Ministers Plenipotentiary from the United States of America to the French republic In conformity with the Resolution of Congress, of the 22nd June 1798. Philadelphia: W. Ross, [1798]. SIGNED BY KENT on the title and dated 1799. Evans 34838; Sabin 34870.
The Connecticut Gore Title, Stated and Considered. Hartford: Hudson & Goodwin, 1799. FIRST EDITION. A statement of Connecticut's claim to a long strip of land along the southwestern border of New York. SIGNED BY KENT on the title, and with his manuscript notes on title verso. Evans 35345; Howes C-678; Sabin 15681; Streeter sale II:887.
[JAY'S TREATY]. A Brief Statement of Opinions, Given in the Board of Commissioners, Under the Sixth Article of the Treaty with Great Britain. Philadelphia: James Humphreys, 1800. FIRST EDITION. Evans attributes the work to Thomas Fitzsimmons, but James Kent has cited Thomas MacDonald on the title-page as the author. A full page of Kent's notes on the report are on the blank verso of the final leaf. Evans 37428; Sabin 84842.
HAMILTON, Alexander. Letter from Alexander Hamilton, Concerning the Public Conduct and Character of John Adams, Esq. President of the United States. New York: John Lang, 1800. FIRST EDITION. SIGNED BY KENT on the title, with a brief note on title verso and several annotations in the text. Evans 37566; Howes H-116.
[With:]
[DWIGHT, Timothy]. A Discourse on the Genuineness and Authenticity of the New-Testament: Delivered at New Haven, September 10th, 1793, at the Annual Lecture. New York: George Bunce, 1794. FIRST EDITION. SIGNED BY MOSS KENT, father of James Kent, on the title and dated 1794. Evans 26924; Sabin 21549.
While a student at Yale, James Kent encountered a copy of Blackstone's Commentaries: "it inspired me at the age of 15 with awe, and I fondly determined to be a lawyer." In November 1781, shortly after graduating from Yale, Kent began preparation for the bar in Poughkeepsie, New York. "The small but rapidly growing town of Poughkeepsie shaped Kent's early career. Political differences among the revolutionary generation had been papered over during the war, but in the 1780s they were the basis for emerging political parties. Kent's penchant for order and his commercial orientation coincided with the values of New York's champions of the new federal constitution, such as John Jay, Benson, and Alexander Hamilton. The New York convention to ratify the Constitution met in Poughkeepsie during the summer of 1788, and Kent, an attentive spectator, was particularly impressed with Hamilton, whom he came to idolize, as indicated by a glowing tribute that Kent wrote on the latter's death. Similarly, he memorized the Federalist and wrote anonymous newspaper articles in support of the Constitution" (ANB).
A vigorous Federalist, Columbia College's Federalist-dominated board of trustees selected him to fill a new law professorship in December 1793. In 1798, he was appointed to New York's Supreme Court. Kent served as associate or puisne justice on the state supreme court until 1804, when he became chief justice. Arguably the most important case he heard was that regarding the steamboat monopoly that involved Robert Livingston and Robert Fulton.The volumes in the present collection come from this fertile period in Poughkeepsie and New York, and show Kent's active reading and annotating of current affairs. His annotations in the Brief Statement of Opinion about the Jay Treaty, for instance, record New York state expenses and finances as they relate to convicts. He records copious biographical details about Barnabas Bidwell in that author's The Susquehannah Title, and similarly in François d'Ivernois's pamphlet on Geneva.
In his later years, Kent's major work was in preparing the Commentaries on American Law. This work apparently began with his return to Columbia in January 1824, and the lectures for 1824-1825 composed the first two-volume edition. A subsequent edition was expanded to four volumes, and ultimately the work would go through fourteen editions in the nineteenth century. "Kent's Commentaries of American Law was of fundamental importance and still remains the foremost American institutional legal treatise" (DAB). (11)