Featured Leather bound law book

Seems to be very soft leather, and has some foxing inside. Any info would be appreciated.
Thanks for reading.

 

It's nice that the leather is soft. I have a library of old leather law books (some 18th C) that my husband inherited from his father but most are dry and sort of crispy. Some are rather interesting reading though.

There are various references of your book online but this is the only sale I've found so far. It was in a group of 11 books that sold for $20. It has Robert's on Fraud but is an earlier edition in 1807.

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/24225239_lot-of-11-19th-century-misc-leather-books

 

Thank you, SIS. Looks are deceiving. I thought I had a good one, thanks for checking for me. I couldn’t find it.

 

Hi SIS,
You could try neatsfoot oil to soften the leather on old books. I tried it on an 1907 Kodak camera that was almost suede. It cleaned and reconditioned the old leather on the camera body.
greg

 

I'll give it a try but sadly it will be somewhere on my to-do list. It's reallllly long. I think I did a corner of one and intended to check it later....this is so later that I don't remember which one it was.

 

I thought I'd posted some of my books and I did, back in 2014. Life has been so crazy since then it seems like decades ago.

https://www.antiquers.com/threads/t...books-and-how-to-care-for-them.508/#post-5873

 

Unfortunately I think the supply is higher than the demand for many old law books.

 

Hi @Huntingtreasure , I found an example of your book for sale on Abebooks.com, an online marketplace who are a good source for Antiquarian literature though their prices are often inflated and push the heights of retail prices. They are useful for determine whether a book is determined as rare or not though.

Here’s the link : https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?ds=20&sortby=1&tn=Treatise+on+the+statute+of+frauds

There are several 1st editions and early editions but I quickly found one 1823 edition, here’s a screenshot. Hope this helps.

 

Thank you Nathan,
I guess that shows quite a difference in asking and sold prices. The one you found is a softcover version. What Joe2007 said also make a lot of sense too, not much demand for these, which is a shame. Part of the learning curve. I’ll figure out something to do with it. As with many other of my “not the most thought out” purchases, I’ve kind of gotten used to it. Thank you all for the input!

 

Well, I’m sure there is still interest out there. The example where they sold in a group @say_it_slowly referenced won’t be an accurate show of its true value. Items rarely sell when grouped, I buy a lot of large book lots. Last year I purchased 9 books on eBay for £70 and a month later sold one for £60 so it’s just how you list that gets you your price.

There is a 1807 first addition of your book on eBay for £100, whether it’ll sell for that is another question. If it was me I’d assume it’s worth something like £25-35 but I’m not an appraiser so just my personal opinion

 

Appears that this book is still being re-printed today for use in the legal professions. Must somehow still be legally relevant despite its age. Most legal research done today is done electronically through massive databases maintained by WestLaw & LexisNexis. Back before the internet became mainstream many law firms maintained extensive libraries of legal texts. Legal treatises are subject matter guides for an area of case law and as such they are frequently updated and enhanced as new precedent is set or new laws come onto the books.

 

Thank you all for this information. I’m sure, like all things, if you wait long enough you could find someone interested in buying most items. I’m happy enough to have found it. I appreciate it enough, to just hold onto it. I think it’s impressive enough. Maybe I’ll take the tips from Gregsglass and condition the leather.

 

There are companies that reprint antique books they have on record for very high prices they’re often £30+ . Lots of no longer relevant books I’ve found too. Hope the restoration goes well