Bidspirit auction | Tidd, William. The Practice of

Tidd, William. The Practice of the Court of King's Bench. Isaac Riley, 1807. Second American Edition. - This antiquarian law book is an 1807 New York printing of The Practice of the Court of King's Bench, in Personal Actions: with References to Cases of Practice in the Court of Common Pleas. This volume is identified on the title page as Volume I of a two-volume set. It is authored by William Tidd, Esquire, of the Inner Temple. The title page specifies this as the Second American Edition: with Corrections and Additions, by a Gentleman of the Bar. The work was printed in New York by Isaac Riley and sold by Alsop, Brannan & Alsop at No. 1 City-Hotel, Broadway. The volume is bound in full period sheep or calf leather. The spine features a red leather title label with the gilded text TIDD'S PRACTICE and is divided by horizontal blind-stamped bands. The text is printed on laid paper typical of the early 19th century, featuring a table of contents and comprehensive legal citations in the margins and footnotes. Tidd's Practice is historically significant as a foundational text in common law procedure and attained literary fame through its mention in Charles Dickens' David Copperfield as the preferred reading of Uriah Heep. The book is in poor to fair antiquarian condition. The leather binding exhibits heavy rubbing, scuffing, and significant loss at the corners and spine ends (photo 3). The front board is completely detached (photo 3). The spine leather is heavily cracked, fragile, and shows areas of lifting and loss (photo 3). Internally, the pages show moderate to heavy foxing and prominent water staining, particularly along the fore-edge and top margins throughout the volume (photos 5, 6, and 10). A few pages show small spots of ink staining or darker foxing (photo 8). Despite these condition issues, the text remains entirely legible.