Customer Reviews

The Letters of Sir William Blackstone (Selden Society Supplementary Series)

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Wilfrid Prest recently completed the first major scholarly biography of William Blackstone (1723-1780) in an amazing volume also reviewed by me on Amazon. Earlier in 2006, on behalf of the Selden Society's Supplementary Series, he edited this collection of Blackstone letters. Since he cites this volume's letters consistently in his biography, the collection serves as a vital complement to that study. The volume contains 179 letters, in chronological order, plus some additional correspondence in the appendices. Prest has added some carefully drawn annotation footnotes (and indeed these notes do appear on the base of the page) which place the letters in context and identify key individuals. Of particular value is Prest's Introduction, which addresses what he terms the flourishing culture of letter writing in the 18th century. The editor also explains that Blackstone is not known for writing loads of letters, and not much of this material has survived. Many of these letters have never been published before. The introduction also contains a summary list of where the individual letters are currently held; a list of all known outgoing Blackstone correspondence; and a less complete list of incoming letters. A few of Blackstone's correspondents also are discussed. A helpful chronology of Blackstone's life also is included.

For the most part, these letters are very business-like and eschew theoretical issues. They do reflect Blackstone's vast range of interests so well discussed in the biography: "poet, critic, bibliophile, linquist and scholar, academic administrator (at Oxford) and national politician, legislator, historian, comparative theologian, law and penal reformer, law reporter and architect" [xx]. The book is a pleasure to read, printed out superior paper with excellent typography, and includes the famous Kettle portrait of Blackstone as Vinerian Professor in full color on glossy paper. The book runs 195 pages, plus index and 34 pages of introductory material. This volume matches the high standards of the two volumes of Maitland letters published earlier in the same series and adds an enriching perspective to the editor's biography.