Celebrating Provenance: Samuel Williston

OWNERS:

Copy 1:
Samuel Williston (1861-1963), law professor and contracts scholar

James Brown Scott (1866-1943), authority in international law

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (1910-present)

Copy 2:
Marion Clark, first female graduate of GW Law (LL.B. 1916)

Copy 1: Before Williston on Contracts and the Restatement of the Law of Contracts, there was A Selection of Cases on the Law of Contracts. The star-studded pedigree of this 1903-04 work begins with author Samuel Williston, whose erudite inscription to the international law expert James Brown Scott on the front free endpaper confirms the book as a presentation copy. Soon after this presentation, Scott served as professor at GW Law (1905-1906). He later made a gift of this copy to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (plate on front pastedown), where he served as secretary for thirty years. The Carnegie Endowment deaccessioned the piece (see stamp on front pastedown), and it landed at GW Law after a 1950s book purchase by the University from the Endowment.

Copy 2: Marion Clark, the first female graduate of GW Law (1916), donated this copy of Williston’s work to the Law Library. From the autographs, it appears likely that Ms. Clark purchased this book from another law student.