Report of the Case of John W. Webster, Master of Arts and Doctor.

Trial; Bemis, George; Webster, John W.

Publication Date: 1850

About this Item

"America's Classic Murder" [Trial]. Bemis, George. Webster, John White [1793-1850], Defendant. Report of the Case of John W. Webster, Master of Arts and Doctor of Medicine of Harvard University [.] Indicted for the Murder of George Parkman, Master of Arts of Harvard University, Doctor of Medicine of the University of Aberdeen, And Member of the Massachusetts Medical Society, Before The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts; Including the Hearing on the Petition for a Writ of Error, The Prisoner's Confessional Statements and Application for a Commutation of Sentence, And an Appendix Containing Several Interesting Matters Never Before Published. Boston: Charles C. Little and James Brown, 1850. xii, 628 pp. With a tissue-guarded frontispiece. Illustrated. Octavo (9-1/4" x 5-1/4"). Later library cloth, red and black lettering pieces to spine, endpapers renewed, cloth hinges. Light soiling and shelfwear to exterior, lettering pieces abraded, hinges starting, small ink stamp (William C. Schroeder) to front free endpaper, which has a small clean tear to its upper gutter. Toning to interior, light soiling and tiny faint stains in a few places, owner signature of J.H. Anthon dated 1858 to front endleaf and title page along with owner signature of J.B. Coppinger, pencil underling and brief annotations to several leaves (annotations between pp. 469-498). $85. * First edition. As McDade notes, "The murder in the Harvard Medical School of Dr. George Parkman, a prominent Bostonian and Harvard Alumnus, by Professor John W. Webster was, in the words of Edmund Pearson, 'America's classic murder.'" The present account is "the basic book on the case and contains all the evidence." A two-volume edition appeared the same year and the work was reprinted in 1879. The J.H. Anthon who owned this copy was likely John Hone Anthon [1832-1874], a New York attorney and the son of John Anthon, an important American jurist and a founder of the New York Law Institute. J.B. Coppinger may have been John B. Coppinger, a first lieutenant and adjutant in the 83d New York Infantry during the Civil War. The pencil annotations, which provide brief but often lively commentary, do not appear to be in either's hand. McDade, The Annals of Murder 1060.

Seller Inventory # 80133

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Report of the Case of John W. Webster, Master of Arts and Doctor.
• Publication Date: 1850
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Seller catalogs:
  • Antiquarian & Scholarly