Elementa Jurisprudentiae, Definitionibus, Regulis & Sententiis.

Zouch, Richard; Zouche, Richard

Publication Date: 1652

About this Item

The First English Writer on Jurisprudence Zouch(e), Richard [1590-1661]. Elementa Jurisprudentiae, Definitionibus, Regulis & Sententiis Selectioribus Juris Civilis, Illustrata; Accesserunt Descriptiones Juris & Judicii, Sacri, Militaris, Et Maritimi. Amsterdam: Sumptibus Joh. Nevilsoni, [1652]. [x], 439 pp. Four parts with continuous pagination and divisional title pages. 12mo. (5" x 2-3/4"). Contemporary calf, blind frames with corner fleurons to boards, raised bands and somewhat later hand-lettered title label to spine, blind tooling to board edges. A few small scuffs to boards, faint creasing to spine, small chips to spine ends, corners bumped and somewhat worn, endpapers loose, a few cracks to text block. Moderate toning to interior, offsetting, creases and some edgewear to endleaves. $300. * Third edition, an issue of the Elzevier edition of 1652 with a cancel title page. One of England's greatest civilians, Zouch was an advocate of Doctors' Commons, Judge of the High Court of Admiralty and Regius Professor of Civil Law at Oxford. He published treatises on a broad range of legal topics and is best known for his contributions to international law. He is equally important as the first English writer to publish works on jurisprudence. Elementa Jurisprudentiae is an ambitious work that lays out a general theory of general principles applicable to all branches and systems of legal science. It is followed by three essays. The first addresses English ecclesiastical law; the second and third, address the laws of war and laws concerning ships and sea-borne cargo according to international law. The first two editions were published in Oxford in 1629 and 1636. The following two editions, with different additional contents, were issued in Holland in 1652 and 1665. According to Willems, some copies of this title were printed by other printers, some with cancel title pages, others with counterfeit Elzevier title pages. Willems, Les Elzevier: Histoire et Annales Typographiques 717.

Seller Inventory # 75501

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Elementa Jurisprudentiae, Definitionibus, Regulis & Sententiis.
• Publication Date: 1652
• Binding: Hardcover
• Seller catalogs:
  • Antiquarian & Scholarly