formerly Shakespeare and Company Books, now VIcarious Experience

Dictionary of Law by Henry Campbell Black.(Black's Law Dictionary) 1891 First Edition

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A Dictionary of Law by Henry Campbell Black.(Black's Law Dictionary) Containing Definitions of the Terms and Phrases of American and English Jurisprudence, Ancient and Modern. Including the Principal Terms of International, Constitutional, and Commercial Law; with a Collection of Legal Maxims and Numerous Select Titles from the Civil Law and Other Foreign Systems. FIRST EDITION. St. Paul, Minn.: West Publishing, 1891. 1253 pages. Not Ex-Library, Not Facsimile, Not Print on Demand.  10"x7"x3"

I believe this to be the original bucdkram binding with leather label stating "Black's Law Dictionary" There is some wear to the cover and heavy bumping to the cover tips. The covers show soiling from usage and black spots. Inside there is evidence of repair. The front hinge has been reinforced, possibly from publication, but the back hinge shows signs of having been glued, with the two back pages bound in with a tasteful tape that comes close to matching the page color.  On page 1251 there has been some paper repair where a piece of the page was missing (about 1/2" square), causing parts of several words to be missing. On ther reverse side of the page, the text doesn't extend far enough for the repair to have caused a problem. The front end page corner is clipped. Occaisionally there are minor smudges and light page folds inside , but generally, the pages are flat and clean. I found no previous owner markings.


Black's Law Dictionary is the most widely used law dictionary in the United States. It was founded by Henry Campbell Black (1860–1927). It is the reference of choice for definitions in legal briefs and court opinions and has been cited as a secondary legal authority in many U.S. Supreme Court cases. AH18a