The Law-Dictionary; Explaining the Rise, Progress, and Present State of the English Law; Defining . and Comprising Copious Information on the . Enlarged by T.E. Tomlins (1811) (6 vols.)

Reprint of the first American edition of Jacob's dictionary masterpiece, from the second Tomlins edition (1809). Originally published: New York: Printed for, and Published by I. Riley, 1811. Six volumes. viii, 531; [2], 543; [2],618; [2], 472; [2], 553; [2], 472 pp. The New Law-Dictionary was first published in 1729 and is "Jacob's masterpiece and constituted an entirely new departure in legal literature, the dictionary which is also an abridgment." Cowley, p. xci. In contrast to earlier works, each entry summarizes all of the laws relating to the subject and offers extensive interpretive commentary. Jacob [1686-1744] was also careful to omit obsolete terms. It was recognized almost immediately that Jacob had created a highly useful legal encyclopedia that was both more detailed and concise than any other abridgment of the period. An extremely popular work that went through twelve editions by 1800, it offers unparalleled insights into Anglo-American law during the eighteenth century. T.E. Tomlin's [1762-1841] edition, first published in 1797, is in effect an enlargement and improvement of Jacob's dictionary. Tomlins, who in 1797 "remodeled the work and published several more editions in his own name. In this form Jacob's dictionary reached America.": Cowley, A Bibliography of Abridgements, Digests, Dictionaries and Indexes of English Law to the Year 1800 xci.