The Case of Henry Simons, A Polish Jew Merchant [bound with] The Case

1753. The First Instance of a New Trial Being Granted in a Criminal Case in England [Trial]. Simons, Henry, Defendant. The Case of Henry Simons, A Polish Jew Merchant; And His Appeal to the Public Thereon. Now Publish'd, With the Tryal at Chelmsford, For the Benefit of Him and His Unhappy Family. London: Printed, And Sold by All the Booksellers and Pamphlet Shops in Town and Country, 1753. 115 pp. [Bound with] [Ashley, James, Defendant]. [Simons, Henry, Plaintiff]. The Case and Appeal of James Ashley of Bread-Street, London: Addressed to the Publick in General. [...] To Which is Prefixed, A Curious Print of the Person and Dress of the Said Henry Simons. London: Printed for, And Published by, The Appellant, 1753. [viii], 47 pp. Text printed in double columns. Etched portrait frontispiece of Simons. Octavo (7-3/4" x 4-1/2"). Stab-stitched pamphlets bound into recent cloth, calf lettering piece to spine. Light stains to boards, moderate rubbing to extremities, small scuff to lettering piece, later owner bookplate (of English lawyer and judge Geoffrey G. Briggs [1914-1993]) to front free endpaper. Moderate toning to both pamphlets, left-hand edge of plate, but not image, affected by trimming, light foxing and owner inscription ("Wm. Greenwood's 1811") to title page of The Case, tiny worm hole to lower-right corner of its text block through p. 91. $2,500. * Only editions, Case and Appeal one of three issues. This was the first instance of a new trial being granted in a criminal case in England. The affair concerned the robbery of gold coins entrusted to Simons by a group of nobles from his hometown. The case resulted in six trials, three pamphlets and a great deal of debate in the daily newspapers, much of it antisemitic. The thief appeared to have been Simons's innkeeper, but it later turned out to be James Ashley, who was first convicted, then acquitted, then convicted again. English Short-Title Catalogue T95662, T76809.