"THE FOUNDATION OF MODERN INTERNATIONAL LAW" AND AN IMPORTANT INFLUENCE ON THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION: 1680 LATIN EDITION OF GROTIUS' MASTERPIECE

GROTIUS, Hugo. De Jure Belli ac Pacis Libri Tres [Of the Law of War and Peace]. The Hague: Arnold Leers, 1680. Thick octavo, contemporary full vellum, marbled pastedown endpapers, manuscript ink title to spine, yapp edges. $1250.

Early Latin edition of this cornerstone treatise on law and government, with engraved frontispiece portrait and engraved allegorical title page, in contemporary vellum.

"The name of Grotius must always be pre-eminent when we speak of the establishment of the law of nations as a distinct body of doctrine" (NYU, 569). De Jure Belli ac Pacis, first published at Paris in 1625, "was the first attempt to lay down a principle of right, and a basis for society and government, outside of Church or Scripture… Grotius' principle of an immutable law… was the first expression of the 'droit naturel… the foundation of modern international law" (PMM 125). This then-radical notion later played an important role in the build-up to the American Revolution, as colonial leaders cited Grotius as the first and greatest authority on international law. "No legal work ever enjoyed a more widely extended reputation, and none ever exercised such a wonderful influence over the public morals of Europe" (Marvin, 23). Text in Latin. Letterpress title page printed in red and black, with publisher's woodcut device. First published in 1625, the first edition in English did not appear until 1654. Marginal ink annotations in a neat, early hand.

Small wormhole affecting frontispiece and engraved title page. Joints and text block expertly repaired. Contemporary vellum with expected wear. A very good copy.