On this day in history...March 4, 1681 and March 4, 1789.

In 1681, King Charles II of England granted a huge tract of land in the New World to William Penn to settle an outstanding debt. The area later became Pennsylvania. Two years later, Penn was busy with plans for a city he called "Philadelphia." As one of the earlier supporters of colonial unification, Penn wrote and urged for a Union of all the English colonies in what was to become the United States of America. The democratic principles that he set forth in the Pennsylvania Frame of Government served as an inspiration for the United States Constitution. In just over a hundred years after the founding of Philadelphia, in 1789 the first meeting of the new Congress under the new U.S. Constitution took place in New York City. To celebrate both of these historic American events, A. Parker's Books and Book Bazaar offer the following:

Penn, William. COLEMAN'S RE-PRINT OF WILLIAM PENN'S ORIGINAL PROPOSAL AND PLAN FOR THE FOUNDING & BUILDING OF PHILADELPHIA IN PENNSYLVANIA, AMERICA, IN 1683.Tottenham: James Coleman, 1881. Fold-out plan as frontispiece. 24 pp. Softcover. 4to size. Light gray paper wrappers. Wraps darkened about edges, moderately soiled, rear wrapper detached, front wrapper & plan beginning to separate, several corners of wrappers chipped away, but, internally quite good.

and

Story, Joseph. COMMENTARIES ON THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. Boston: Hilliard, Gray and Company, 1833. 3 vols. FIRST EDITION. 34, 494; 555; 776 pp. Hardcover. 8vo. Blue Full morocco. Head of spine of vol. I, professionally repaired; leather split along rear hinge of vol. III; bookplates on flyleaves of vols. II & III; some very light foxing to prelims and title-pages, but, overall, an exceedingly clean and bright set of this rare and important work. Story’s COMMENTARIES is one of the most influential works ever written on the American Constitution, and is considered to be second in significance only to The Federalist. Joseph Story, the youngest man ever named to the Supreme Court, was a staunch supporter of the Marshall Doctrine. While on the Supreme Court, he was the first Dane Professor of Law at Harvard, signaling a reorganization the Harvard Law School and its emergence as the first modern school of law. While on the court, he was overshadowed by Marshall; as a scholar, teacher and writer, he had no peer [Schwartz, The Law in America, 110-11]. see Howes S1047, Sabin 92292. Very good.