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An Exceptionally Rare, Reformist Guide to Debt Collection: No Copies on OCLC or Library Hub [Bankruptcy]. Strange, William [fl. 1799-1852], Publisher. [Carpenter, William (1797-1874), Attributed]. A Guide to the Recovery of Small Debts In and Within Ten Miles of the City of London: In Which the Practice, Powers, Jurisdiction, & Fees of the Various Courts of Request, Sheriffs', Lord Mayor's, Palace, Marshalsea, Middlesex and Kingston Courts, Are Fully Explained: As Also the Summary Mode of Proceeding Before a Justice of the Peace for Recovering Wages Due to Servants, Apprentices, Handicraftsmen, Labourers, &c. With Numerous Decisions in the Superior Courts at Westminster, Defining and Limiting the Powers of the Inferior Courts, And a Review of the Defects and Anomalies of the Several Local Courts, And of the Reforms Necessary in the Practical Administration of the Law in Relation to Small Debts. London: William Strange, 1841. 52 pp. 12mo. (7" x 4"; 17.8 x 10.2 cm). Disbound pamphlet. Moderate toning, light soiling, small chip to top-edge of second leaf, a few clean tears to gutter of final leaf without loss, early ink numeral and pencil annotation ("By Wm Carpenter") to head of title page. A very good copy. $650. * First and only edition. An exceptionally rare, reformist guide to debt collection, published during a period of intense legal transition in Victorian England. While the stated goal is to provide a "popular digest" of the laws for the layman, the text serves as a sharp critique of the "defects, anomalies, and costliness" of the judicial system, advocating for the establishment of accessible local courts. The work is attributed to the radical journalist and Chartist William Carpenter, whose "W.C." initials sign the introduction. Carpenter was a relentless advocate for the working class, and this tract fits perfectly into his oeuvre of democratizing legal and political knowledge. Adding a layer of historical irony, the publisher William Strange was a frequent "customer" of the systems described herein; by the time this guide was printed in 1841, Strange had already faced bankruptcy or debtor's prison three times. Though its existence is attested to in advertisements and articles, we located no copies of this title on OCLC or Library Hub. Not at the British Library; not in Sweet & Maxwell. "Carpenter, William,".
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