KERR, Dr Donald

The Law of the Australian Constitution. Being a Treatise on the Commonwealth of Australia Act ... and the Judicial Interpretation of it

Sydney, Law Book Company of Australasia Limited (and printed at The Hassell Press, Adelaide), 1925.

Large octavo, xlviii, 382 pages, fully interleaved with ruled notepaper.

Full light tan law calf with contrasting leather title-labels on the spine (and the small paper label of the binder F. Binns & Co., Adelaide, on the front pastedown); leather a little marked and scuffed; extremities rubbed; front joint starting to split from the top; overall in very good condition.

The author's personal copy, extensively annotated on the printed text and the interleaves, with numerous newspaper review cuttings and original letters from distinguished members of the law fraternity mounted in the book. There are minor corrections to 19 pages. Over 50 pages contain additional material in the margins; these are often extensive annotations. Approximately 130 interleaved pages contain additional material by Kerr, with 110 of these ranging from half- to full-page commentary. The contemporary reviews of the book are mounted on about a dozen (mainly interleaved) pages. The 29 letters (16 autograph letters signed; 10 typed letters signed; and 3 letters in secretarial hands) are mounted on interleaves at the beginning and end of the book; almost all of them are dated 1925 or 1926. Although some are relatively routine letters of thanks for presentation copies of the book, others make personal comments on the value of the work. The letters come from Attorneys-General, Chief Justices, High Court Judges, Judges, Professors of Law, and other eminent lawyers and academics, from home and abroad. These include (in no particular order) Coleman Phillipson, William Jethro Brown, Francis Cumbrae-Stewart, Dugald Gordon McDougall, John Quick, George Coutts Ligertwood, Francis Villeneuve-Smith, Sir George Rich, Sir Adrian Knox and William Joseph Denny. A number of letters are more significant, both in content and authorship: these include those written by Sir William Harrison Moore, Sir Isaac Alfred Isaacs, Sir Littleton Ernest Groom, Sir George John Robert Murray, and Richard Burdon Haldane, 1st Viscount Haldane.

The favourable reviews and testimonials (some of them glowing), coupled with the typographical corrections and the significant amount of new and relevant material in manuscript, strongly suggest that a second edition was planned by Dr Kerr. These revisions took place while he completed a second legal text, 'The Principles of the Australian Lands Titles (Torrens) System', which was published in early 1927. The untimely and tragic death of Dr Donald Kerr MM (14 February 1893 - 31 January 1928) less than a year later, shortly before his 35th birthday, meant this was not to be. This heavily annotated volume, augmented with the tributes of many worthy colleagues, remains as testament to his work and life.

It is offered together with a copy of Kerr's second publication, prepared by him in similar fashion, and described in full, as follows. KERR, Dr Donald: The Principles of the Australian Lands Titles (Torrens) System. Being a Treatise on the Real Property Acts of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania; the Transfer of Land Acts of Victoria and Western Australia; and the Land Transfer Act of New Zealand. Sydney, Law Book Company of Australasia Limited (and printed at The Hassell Press, Adelaide), 1927. Octavo, xc, 583 pages interleaved with ruled notepaper. Full light tan law calf with contrasting leather title-labels on the spine (with the small paper label of the binder F. Binns & Co., Adelaide, on the front pastedown); leather a little marked and scuffed; extremities rubbed; joints starting to split from the top; overall in very good condition. The author's personal copy, annotated on the printed text and the interleaves, with numerous review cuttings and original letters from distinguished members of the law fraternity mounted in the book. There are minor corrections to 14 pages. About 24 pages contain additional material in the margins; another 20 have minor pencilled marks suggesting this copy is bound from proof sheets. Some 37 interleaved pages contain additional material by Kerr, with about a dozen of these ranging from half- to full-page commentary. A related article by him (cut from the 'Australian Law Journal', 5 July 1927), has been mounted on four pages. The contemporary reviews of the book are mounted on about 20 (mainly interleaved) pages; the majority of the reviews are typed transcriptions of newspaper or journal reviews. The 34 letters (18 autograph letters signed; 10 typed letters signed; and 6 letters in secretarial hands) are mounted on interleaves at the end of the book; almost all of them are dated 1927. Although some are relatively routine letters of thanks for presentation copies of the book, others make personal comments on the value of the work. The letters come from Attorneys-General, Chief Justices, High Court Judges, Judges, Professors of Law, and other eminent lawyers and academics, from home and abroad. These include (in no particular order) Sir Robert Furse McMillan, Francis Cumbrae-Stewart, Sir Frederick William Richards, Sir George Rich, Sir Thomas John Mellis Napier, Arthur Berriedale Keith, Thomas Reed Powell, Sir John Greig Latham, Sir Robert Randolph Garran, Sir Charles John Lowe, and William Joseph Denny. Several are more significant, both in content and authorship: these include those written by Sir Isaac Alfred Isaacs, and Sir George John Robert Murray (the dedicatee, two letters, November 1926 and May 1927). [2 items].