Page:Legal Bibliography, Numbers 1 to 12, 1881 to 1890.djvu/27

SOULE & BUGBEE'S LEGAL BIBLIOGRAPHY. 3 LAWYERS' REFERENCE MANUAL. (NEW.) The need is frequently felt by lawyers, in all parts of the country, of some catalogue to give them full information as to reports and text-books, and abbreviations. The leading publishers have issued, from time to time, " General Law Catalogues," which partly supplied this want : but they have been too brief to be perfectly satisfactory. There is still a great need for some book which can be kept constantly on the desk or the library table, and which will give full information about the titles and editions of American and'English law-books, especially the reports ; together with a dictionary of abbreviations, containing so fuil an alphabetical list of correct and incoiTect abbreviations, that a lawyer coming across a blind citation in a book or a brief, can get a hint of the book referred to. Constant intercourse with librarians and members of the bench and bar having convinced him that such a book was very much wanted, Mr. Soule commenced preparing " The Lawyers' Reference Manual " some ten years ago. Although he has been aided by many lawyers and libra- rians, progress was necessarily slow. There is very little bibliographical information in print concerning American, Scotch, Irish, or British Col- onial reports ; and the items regarding English reports are scattered through many books, and their accuracy has to be tested by constant ref- erence to the reports themselves. During the preparation of the Manual the author has examined the law-books in the principal American and Eng- lish law libraries, and has been assisted, in compilation and verification, by prominent law librarians in both countries, his obligation to whom is explained in the preface. As a result of this prolonged labor, we can announce for publication, the last of this month, " The Lawyers' Reference Manual of Laav Books and Citations, by Charles C. Soule." It will contain — I. An itemized list of the American law reports, with notes in regard to their editions and peculiarities. This occupies 64 closely printed octavo pages. II. A similar list of the English reports, occupying 68 pages. The list of King's Bench Reports alone, with notes, takes up 18 pages. The notes in this department condense the most valuable information given in Wallace's Reporters, Marvin's Legal Bibliography, and other authoritative sources, with much additional matter. III. Lists, with notes, of the Irish, Scotch, and British Colonial re- ports, occupying 50 pages. IV. An index of legal literature, arranged by authors' names, which serves both as an index to the preceding parts, and as an original list of text-books ; giving the last English and last American edition of each book, with brief title, date, and place of publication. V. A full index of text-books by subjects, showing the date of each book, and whether it is American, foreign, or local. VI. A remarkably full index of abbreviations. Most of the catalogues which give such an index, include in it only the correct or common forms of abbreviation, — often divided into different alphabetical lists for text- books and reports, or English and American books. But what the lawyer wants is one list, carefully alphabetized, to turn to when he chances upon a blind citation. He does not want to stop to think what class it belongs to, but needs an index to guide him to the right solution with as little waste of time as possible. Such a list is here given, incorporating incor- rect as well as correct methods of citation, and giving such suggestions as may enable the user to find what he wants, even when the abbreviation he cannot understand is careless, blind, or misprinted. This part of the book will probably be more constantly useful to lawyers than the other divisions. The whole manual will make 500 pages, octavo. We shall sell it, bound either in law sheep or in half law calf, for ^4.00, net, with 25 cents additional for postage, when sent by mail. A circular, giving specimen pages of the different parts of the Lawyers' Reference Manual, will be sent on application. We have received the following letter from N. C. Moak, Esq., of Albany, N. Y., well known as a lawyer and legal author, as owner of a very large law library, and as editor of the best law catalogue which has yet appeared : — Albany, N.Y., Dec. 7, 1882. Messrs. Soule & Bugbee : — Gentlemen, — I have carefully examined the advance sheets of Mr. Soule's Lawyers' Reference Manual, and am very much pleased with them. I have long felt the need (as I doubt not every practising lawyer has) of such a work. It contains more information upon the subject of law-books than any book I know of, and just the kind of information which can only be obtained by access to large libraries and extensive collections of catalogues and works .on legal bibliography. Perusal of the sheets sur- prised me with details of which I was entirely unaware. By clearly point- ing out which are the best editions, it will, in a very brief time, save its cost to any lawyer who purchases law books, besides affording a source of pleasure which none can realize until perusal. Yours truly, NATH'L C. MOAK. BATEMAN ON THE LAW OF AUCTIONS. (NEW.) Bateman's Treatise on the Law of Auctions, the skth edition of which is about to appear in England, has never been reprinted in America. Indeed, there is no American work which treats this subject with any de- gree of thoroughness. Believing that there is need for a book on this subject here, we have arranged with the English publishers for advance sheets, from which we have prepared, and shall publish, Jan. i, an American edition, with excellent notes by Henry N. Sheldon, author of Sheldon on Subrogation. The original work (whose merit is attested by the number of editions it has reached) considers with especial fulness the following questions : The auctioneer's license, agency and authority ; the particulars and cata- logues of sales, and how far their descriptions or laudatory expressions may be deemed to import a warranty, or to lay the foundation for an action for deceit ; How the rights of buyers and sellers are affected by the terms or con- ditions of sale ; How the sale is to be conducted, and what consequences may result from the action of either the auctioneer or the bidders ; What is the effect of the employment of " puffers" to enhance, or of combinations among bidders to reduce, the price ; How the enforcement of a contract of sale made at an auction is affected by the statute of frauds, and how far the auctioneer is empowered to sign the contract or memorandum, in the name of the vendor and of the purchaser ; The right of the auctioneer to com- pensation and indemnity from his employer, and the responsibility to which he is held for the property and its proceeds. He also discusses, separately. Sales under judgments, or order of Chancery ; Sales by order and under process of Court ; Sales under distresses for rent ; Sales by pawn- brokers ; and sales under innkeepers' liens. Mr. Sheldon, in addition to citing the American cases under each sec- tion, and developing any differences which may exist between the law as held in England and America, has enlarged, especially in his notes, the subjects of Purchases by trustees for sale ; Puffing and reserved biddings ; Knock-out sales and fraudulent practices of bidders; Execution and purport of memoranda, under the statute of frauds ; Judicial sales ; and Execution sales. The price of the American edition, either in full-sheet or in half law-calf, will be $5.00, net. BOOKS ON SPECIAL SUBJECTS. We keep the text-books on our shelves, not as usual under an alpha- betical arrangement by authors, but by subjects, grouping under each subject the last editions of all works which treat of it, new or old, so far as we can find them. In developing this plan we have accumulated a number of books not usually found for sale, especially under the heads of Admiralty, Criminal Law, Law Dictionaries, Legal Biography, Patents and Copyright, Pleading and Practice, Sheriffs, Speeches. Our stock changes so from day to day, by purchase and sales, that we do not venture to print lists of such books, but will send to any one who wishes it, a manuscript list with prices, of all the books we have, treating of either of these topics: