Commentaries on the Laws of England. Ninth ed. 4 Vols. London, 1776

1783. London: W.Strahan; T.Cadell, 1783. Eller 14. London: W.Strahan; T.Cadell, 1783. Eller 14. The Final Edition with Blackstone's Corrections Blackstone, Sir William [1723-1780]. Burn, Richard [1709-1785], Editor. Commentaries on the Laws of England, in Four Books. With the Last Corrections of the Author; And Continued to the Present Time. London: Printed for W. Strahan; T. Cadell, In the Strand; and D. Prince, Oxford, 1783. Four volumes. Copperplate portrait frontispiece of Blackstone, "Table of Consanguinity" and folding "Table of Descents." Octavo (8" x 5-1/4"). Contemporary tree calf, gilt spines. Light rubbing and some shallow scuffing to boards, moderate rubbing to extremities, light chipping to heads of spines, corners bumped and moderately worn, joints starting at ends, hinges cracked, armorial bookplate (of John Guille of Guernsey) to front pastedown of each volume. Light toning to text, somewhat heavier in places, some edgewear to folding table, light soiling to title page of Volume I. $2,500. * Ninth edition. The first edition published after Blackstone's death, it was the basis of several subsequent editions. Burn's advertisement in Volume I, dated July 20, 1783, states: "The alterations...since the publication of the last edition, were made by the author himself, as may appear from a corrected copy in his own handwriting...The editor...[has noted] alterations made by subsequent acts of Parliament." Burn, an attorney and notable legal writer, was the author of The Justice of the Peace, And Parish Officer (1st edition 1755), a work praised by Blackstone in the Commentaries. Eller, The William Blackstone Collection in the Yale Law Library 14. Laeuchli, A Bibliographical Catalog of William Blackstone 18.