Bidspirit auction | 1819 Joseph Chitty A Treatise

1819 Joseph Chitty A Treatise on the Parties to Actions and on Pleading Volume I - An 1819 Philadelphia imprint of A Treatise on the Parties to Actions, the Forms of Actions, and on Pleading by Joseph Chitty, Esq. This is Volume I of a three-volume set, identified as the Third American from the second London edition, featuring corrections and additions by John A. Dunlap. The volume was printed for I. Riley at No. 8 Decatur Street in Philadelphia. The book is bound in full brown leather with a hubbed spine and two gilt-lettered leather labels. The upper label is red and reads CHITTY'S PLEADING, while the lower label is black and reads VOL. I. A faded handwritten ink inscription in cursive script at the top right of the front cover appears to read C. Howell. A small rectangular green paper adhesive label is affixed to the upper left corner of the front pastedown, which reads J. KATZ, BOOKBINDER, No. 8 Decatur St., Phila. The interior includes a full title page, a preface to the first edition, an extensive alphabetical index, and text pages with voluminous legal footnotes. A final page contains advertisements for other practical treatises by Joseph Chitty in the press for Isaac Riley. The volume is in distressed condition. The front cover is completely detached from the spine and text block (photo 5). The leather binding shows pervasive scuffing, staining, and surface loss consistent with red rot, particularly visible on the front and rear covers (photos 1, 3). There is heavy chipping and loss of leather at the head and tail of the spine, and the leather is cracked along the rear joint (photo 2). The corners are severely bumped and worn through to the boards. Internal pages exhibit heavy foxing, pervasive dampstaining, and overall toning throughout (photos 6, 7, 8, 12). There is visible warping and undulation of the paper consistent with historical moisture exposure (photo 5). This lot consists of Volume I only of an originally three-volume set.