Skillman, John B.:

$900 · Offered by William Reese Company · No longer available

SKILLMAN'S NEW-YORK POLICE REPORTS. ILLUSTRATED WITH ENGRAVINGS. WRITTEN IN 1828-29. Early American crime reporting presented in the form of humorous dialogues between the perpetrators and the questioning officer or justice. For example, "Freeman G--- is no longer a free man. Freeman is suspected of not 'walking uprightly'—of not being any better (loftiness of ideas, as well as expression, is certainly commendable,) 'than he should be!' Freeman is in a state of declination."Includes accounts of many women and several Black criminals including William Jones ("a coloured boy"), Henry Edmonson ("a mulatto, and somewhat prepossessing in his manners and appearance"), George Riley ("a coloured man and a sly fellow, and it may be said a cunning one withal"), and others. Also dozens of petty criminals, drunks, and sex workers from the streets of New York City. The engravings depict petty criminals, pickpockets, and a humorous scene outside a police station.

Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.