Cowen, Esek; Barbour, O. L. A Treatise on the Civil Jurisdiction of the Justices of the Peace in the State of New-York; Third Edition, by O. L. Barbour, counselor at law; Incorporating the Additions and Corrections made in the Second Edition by Sidney J. Cowen, Esq. Albany & New-York: Wm. & A. Gould & Co. | Gould, Banks & Co., 1844. Third Edition. [8661]
Two volumes in full sheep with maroon & black calf title labels, 24 cm (9 1/2 x 6 inches), all joints fine, old scuffing & shelf-wear. Each with ink bookseller's stamp on the ffep, "H. & J. C. Ivison, Booksellers, Auburn, N. Y." Frontispiece portrait engraving of E. Cowen in vol. i. Each vol. with a contemporary signature in brown in at top, another one crossed over beneath. 718, [1]; 656 p. A few creased corners, light foxing, tightly bound. Very good. Full leather.
Esek Cowen (1787-1844), b. Rhode Island; d. Albany, New York. His family moved to New York state shortly after he was born. The son of a farmer with little opportunity for formal education, Cowen was self-educated. At the age of fifteen Cowen became a teacher and shortly thereafter began the study of law in the Hudson Falls office of Roger Skinner. After further studies with Zebulon Shepherd, he was admitted to the bar in 1810, and built a successful law practice in Saratoga, New York. He became a justice of the peace in 1815, and after some years published A Treatise on the Civil Jurisdiction of a Justice of the Peace, the first work of its kind in New York state. "The treatise was highly regarded and frequently cited in New York court decisions." - nycourts online. Cowen ascended to different judicial positions during his career, and in 1832 he was appointed to the New York Supreme Court, a position that he held until his death in 1844.