|
|
Description and Holding Information
|
|
|
Sheridan, Observations on the Doctrine by Sir William Blackstone, 1779.
|
|
respecting the extent of the power of the British Parliament, particularly with relation to Ireland; In a letter to Sir William Blackstone, with a
postscript addressed to Lord North, upon the affairs of that country: 2nd ed., 85p, London, pr. for J. Almon, J. Dodsley and E. & C. Dilly, 1779. (This
anonymous edition was loaned by the Yale University Library for the LLMC filming. The author is Charles Francis Sheridan, Irish lawyer and member of
the Irish Parliament. Observations …. was first published in Dublin, 1779, under Sheridan’s name. It is the only work in the entire Yale Blackstone
Collection which reverses the usual pattern of a preliminary English publication followed by a Dublin piracy; although, whether this reprint was in fact
an unauthorized London piracy is not known. Given the widespread piracy of Blackstone’s work, it is interesting that the term itself, as used in this
context, was of relatively recent origin in Blackstone’s time. The OED, first edition, defines "pirate" in its 4th meaning as: "fig. One who
appropriates or reproduces without leave, for his own benefit, a literary, artistic, or musical composition, or an idea or invention of another, or, more
generally, anything that he has no right to; esp. one who infringes on the copyright of another." The first instance given of the use of the word in this
context is: "1668 J. Hancock, Brook’s String of Pearls {Notice at end}, Some dishonest Bookselleres, called Land-Pirats, who make it their practice to
steal Impressions of other men’s Copies." And: "1709 Steele & Addison Tatler, No. 101, These Miscreants are a Set of Wretches we Authors call Pirates,
who print any Book ... as soon as it appears ..., in a smaller Volume, and sell it {as all other Thieves do stolen Goods} at a cheaper Rate." The
preface to Blackstone’s first edition of the Commentaries reveals that he was very conscious of the dangers of piracy. He ascribes as his reason for
publication the fact that transcripts of his lectures "in their nature imperfect, if not erroneous ... have fallen into mercenary hands, and become the
object of clandestine sale. Having therefore so much reason to apprehend a surreptitious impression, he chose rather to submit his own errors to the
world, than to seem answerable for those of other men." Expected or not, the fact of piracy must have been particularly galling when it resulted in such
incongruities as the appearance for sale of a self-designated "fifth edition" {actually a Dublin reprint of Blackstone’s true Fourth Edition} before
Blackstone’s own true Fifth Edition appeared.)
|
|
|
Title:
Observations on the doctrine laid down by Sir William Blackstone, respecting the extent of the power of the British parliament, particularly with relation to Ireland : In a letter to Sir William Blackstone, with a postcript [sic] addressed to Lord North, upon the affairs of that country.
|
|
|
OCLC Number:
83371096
|
|
| Original LLMC Number 82800 | |
|
|
|
|
Available Volumes
|
|
| Name | Fiche Count | Online | Paper Backup |
| Vol. 1 | | Yes | No |
|
|
|