Michał Słoński: Accessoria, Statutes, and Constitutions [1760]

Michał Słoński, *Accessoria statut y konstytucye*, Lviv 1760

(at the Printing House of J. Filipowicz, the privileged printer of His Royal Majesty and the Republic)

“A Collection of Statutes and Constitutions from Czaradzki, Ładowski, and the Supplement by His Excellency J.O. Załuski, Bishop of Kraków, on General Matters, and Most Notably on the Most Essential Aspects of Legal Proceedings. As well as ‘Forms of Certain Transactions’” is a handy collection of legal provisions and templates for court documents, compiled by Michał Słoński, deputy town administrator of Łuków. The main text opens with a Latin title page, “Scientia juris fori controversi breviter selecta,” introducing three sections: “Rudimenta juridica,” the statutes of Herbert with his constitutions, and “Formulas variarum transactionum.”

Following the title page is a print of King Augustus III’s privilege, in which, at the request of “Generosi Michaelis Słonski, Vicegerentis Castrensis Lucoviensis,” he entrusted the printing of the work to “Typographiae Nobilis Joannis Filipowicz Bibliopolae Leopoliensis” and prohibited other printers from reprinting it for ten years; the privilege was dated in Warsaw “Die XIX Mensis Aprilis Anno Domini MDCCLVIII.” In the preface “To the Reader,” the author writes that he compiled this collection not for people “well-versed and proficient in law,” but for those “who are just beginning to learn the law.”

On the title page and next to the charter, there are visible old notes and ink smudges—traces of the book’s past use. One page with the coat of arms preceding the title page is missing. The copy underwent conservation treatment at the Antykwariat Polski workshop. The book block was mechanically cleaned, and the sections were re-sewn by hand, restoring the volume’s structural stability. Stains on the paper are a natural indication of the object’s age.

A half-leather binding handcrafted from the finest materials by master craftsmen at the Antykwariat Polski bookbindery. Natural leather, marbled paper endpapers.

The mission of Antykwariat Polski is based on a simple belief: valuable Polish books deserve to survive. Not as exhibits behind glass, but as living objects—preserved, bound with the utmost artisanal care, and ready for centuries to come in a collector’s library.

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