United States Constitutions

8vo (6 3/4 x 3 7/8 in.; 172 x 98 mm). Sheet D creased or torn and so printed, text block lightly browned. Contemporary sheep, spine gilt in compartments with red morocco label, red-sprinkled edges; a few scrapes.

Adams, American Controversy 81-74d; Sabin 16901; Ford, Official Publications 307; cf. Will Slauter, "Constructive Misreadings: Adams, Turgot, and the American State Constitutions," in PBSA 105:1 (2011): 33–67

8vo (6 3/4 x 3 7/8 in.; 172 x 98 mm). Sheet D creased or torn and so printed, text block lightly browned. Contemporary sheep, spine gilt in compartments with red morocco label, red-sprinkled edges; a few scrapes.
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The scarce Glasgow edition of the State Constitutions, likely annotated by a member of Benjamin Franklin's inner circle. As Will Slauter has demonstrated, the 1783 edition of La Rochefaucauld's translations of the Constitutions des Treize Etats-Unis de l'Amerique—a publication supervised by Franklin—very carefully presented the texts in a manner that exaggerated the state of American unity. Franklin and La Rochefaucauld  were especially determined to include the Virginia Declaration of Rights, which is not in the Philadelphia 1781 publication that was otherwise the basis for their French version.  Slauter also shows that the two glossed over the fact that what they printed there was a translation of a draft version. The annotations in the present volume, in a late eighteenth-century hand, make clear that their author was aware of the difference between English editions and the French translation and was—like Franklin—eager for the reader to see the Virginia Declaration as important to a full understanding of the constitutions, as well as generally promoting Franklin's vision of the compilation. 

The first annotation appears on page 67, at the foot of the page beginning an "Account of the Constitution of Connecticut": "The Charter of the Colony of Connecticut for some reason not inserted here is to be found in the Parlementary Register for 1775. vol. 2. pag. 2A of the collection of charters." The second, written at the foot of page 158, which faces the text of the Virginia constitution reads, "NB. for the Declaration of Rights of Virginia See the Virginia Gazette of Dixon & Hunter of June 1st 1776 and the Postscript to Alexander Pierdie's Virginia Gazette of June 14th 1776."

The book also contains printings of the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the 1778 Treaty of Amity and Commerce with France, and the 1778 Treaty of Alliance with France.