Item #3654 The Constitution of the State of Maine, and that of the United States. An Appendix Containing the Act of Separation. Maine.

The Constitution of the State of Maine, and that of the United States. An Appendix Containing the Act of Separation.

Portland. Published by Order of the Legislature. 1820. Contemporary calf. Boards well-scuffed and with small gouged area. Significant chipping of spine leather; hinges and joints cracked. Age-toned and areas of staining throughout. An unsophisticated but appealing example of a very scarce book. 18 cm. Item #3654

A very scarce and early printing of the Maine Constitution; as noted on the verso of the title leaf, 200 copies were ordered "printed for the use of the Legislature." In contrast, the next printing ordered by the Legislature -- in 1825 -- was for 10,000 copies. OCLC locates examples at six institutions. Noyes, Maine Imprints to 1820: 931. Not in Williamson, A Bibliography of the State of Maine. Thompson: Important Maine Maps, Books, Prints and Ephemera: 28A. (The Thompson copy sold for $1,840 in 2003.) Sprague, The Mirror of Maine: see 11 (for the 1825 edition). Shoemaker, A Checklist of American Imprints for 1820: 2075.

Price: $2,400.00

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