The Reports of Sir Edward Coke is a multivolume collection of his own detailed commentaries on common law cases of the day. The Leon E. Bloch Library Sir Edward Coke Collection includes the first English edition published in 1727. The initial run of 11 volumes was published in 1616, at which time James I demanded that they be revised. Lord Coke refused. The last two volumes were part of the materials seized by the Crown at Lord Coke's death. They may have been heavily edited by others.
Lord Coke's work which reflects his views concerning the rights of the people to protection from arbitrary imprisonment, freedom from taxation without representation, and due process of law influenced the leaders of the American Revolution and the development of the United States Constitution. Thus, the works of Lord Coke constitute a rounded-out description of English common law of his day and provide a bridge from the past to modern legal tradition.
