An Early Spanish Law Textbook
Isidoro Alcaraz y Castro. Breve Instruccion del Metodo, Y Practica de los Quatro Juicios, Civil Ordinario, Sumario de Particion, Executivo, Y General de Concurso de Acreedores: Anotados con las Especies mas Ocurrentes en los Tribunales. Util Para los Pasasntes de la Juntas de Practica, Y Bogados Principiantes. Madrid: En la Officina de Domingo Fernandez de Arrojo, 1762. 21 cm. Contemporary limp vellum. First edition.
This elementary textbook on Spanish law is divided into four sections, similar in overall conception to the Institutes of Justinian. In his preface
Castro identified his principal sources as Vela, Molina, Gregorio Lopez, Acevedo, Barbosa, Gutierrez, Rodriguez, Acosta, Parladorio and Antonio Gomez. The work was well respected in its time. This book went through four more editions in 1770, 1781, 1794 and 1828. All are scarce and rarely found in North America. This copy is the only known first edition held by a US law library.
Doctor Don Isidoro Alcaraz y Castro was a native of Cartagena, where he also served as counsel for the Royal Council and the city court. This was Alcaraz y Castro's most important work.