Books and Manuscripts

Littleton, Sir Thomas
Litletons Tenures
(London): Richard Tottele, 1557. 12mo ff. (i), 173, 1 (numerous errors in foliation); lacking final blank. Law French in gothic type. Modern three-quarter brown calf over marbled paper-covered boards, red leather spine label, stamped in blind and in gilt; all edges trimmed; all text leaves mounted on stubs; contemporary gift inscription on title-page: "Ex dono Ro: Giles / tertio ____ / January 1566", additional contemporary ownership signature at top of same, "S. Weldon"; title-page moderately worn and darkened; scattered faint dampstaining and light soiling to text. Beale T-21; ESTC S4753

A scarce 1557 edition of Sir Thomas Littleton's classic work on English property law. Originally written by Littleton in the late 15th century to aid his son's study of the law, Tenures was first published following the author's death, in 1481. It's clear style and concise classification of English land law quickly made it the standard--and most respected--English legal textbook on property law, praised by eminent jurists such as Sir Edward Coke.

According to Joseph Henry Beale, this is one of three variations printed in 1557. Beale records another version with the publisher's name spelled "Tottel" on the title-page, and a third version with "Conferred with divers true wrytten copies..." on the title-page. Each version has slight textual differences to the colophon, but all collate the same.

ESTC locates only six institutions holding this version, at the British Library, Stonyhurst College, Columbia University, Harvard University Law Library, the Library of Congress, and the Beinecke at Yale University.