A DIGEST OF THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF ALABAMA CONTAINING ALL THE STATUTES OF A PUBLIC AND GENERAL NATURE IN FORCE AT THE CLOSE OF THE SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN FEBRUARY 1843. . . COMPILED . . . BY C. C. CLAY. (Spine title: "Clay's Alabama Digest.")

Full title - A DIGEST OF THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF ALABAMA: CONTAINING ALL THE STATUTES OF A PUBLIC AND GENERAL NATURE, IN FORCE AT THE CLOSE OF THE SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, IN FEBRUARY, 1843. TO WHICH ARE PREFIXED, THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE; THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES; THE ACT TO ENABLE THE PEOPLE OF ALABAMA TO FORM A CONSTITUTION AND STATE GOVERNMENT, &C.,; AND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF ALABAMA. WITH AN APPENDIX, AND A COPIOUS INDEX. COMPILED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, BY C. C. CLAY. i-xlv, [1], 1-768 pages. Hardcover: H 23.75cm x L 14.75cm. Contemporary brown calf leather; boards and spine scuffed and stained; shallow chipping at spine ends; board corners worn; spine's original maroon title label retains bright gilt lettering albeit with some edge nicks and flaking to top and bottom gilt bars; faded handwritten ink signature near spine head with illegible word also in old ink below spine label. Antiquarian dark ink staining to text block's top edge with leaves varyingly affected at their top margins; four-line addition solution in antiquarian ink on front free endpaper with past owner's pencil signature at top right; antiquarian ink marks to title leaf; varied foxing and toning throughout but most prevalent on early leaves; At least one front flyleaf removed - title leaf is immediately opposite ffep verso; concluding page 768 immediately opposite rear pastedown so missing rear free endpaper and perhaps a flyleaf or two as well. Text block remains firm. Uncommon antebellum Alabama imprint by Tuscaloosa, Alabama printer Marmaduke J. Slade (ca.1807-1857) who was also publisher of the "Tuscaloosa Monitor" newspaper. Born in Warren County, North Carolina, Slade learned his trade from Raleigh printer Joseph Gales, Sr. and moved to Georgia circa 1830 where he published newspapers initially in Macon from 1831-1832 and then in Milledgeville from 1833-1834. Slade moved to Tuscaloosa circa 1835-36 as his oldest surviving imprint is a University of Alabama baccalaureate address by Alva Woods in December 1836 for the school's fifth annual commencement; Slade's Tuskaloosa (the contemporary preferred spelling) imprints apparently terminate in 1847 with OCLC only citing documents involving Slade post-1850. An attorney, judge, and politician, compiler Clement Comer Clay (1789-1866) was the eighth Governor of Alabama (1835-1837) and also served in the state legislature (1827-1828), the U.S. House of Representatives (1829-1835), and the U.S. Senate (1837-1841). Clay's son, Clement Claiborne Clay (1816-1882), also served as a U.S. Senator from 1853-1861 thereafter being a Confederate States Senator from Alabama from 1862-1864. Bibliographical references: Morris L. Cohen "Bibliography of Early American Law" #5621; Rhoda Coleman Ellison "A Check List of Alabama Imprints 1807-1870" #473; "Catalogue of the Library of the Law School of Harvard University" #24; Thomas McAdory Owen "A Bibliography of Alabama" #865. Please note that this thick book has an approximate shipping weight of 3.25 pounds (1.47 kg) and will require additional postage for any postal class other than domestic Media Mail.