Item 51 is an interesting collection: Prize Essays on a Congress of Nations, For the Adjustment of International Disputes, And for the Promotion of Universal Peace Without Resort to Arms. This book was published as a result of an essay contest promoted by the American Peace Society on creating an international organization. What is surprising here is the timing. The contest, complete with a $1,000 prize, was held in 1831, almost a century before the League of Nations was organized. The judges for the contest were some of the greatest legal minds of the era: John Marshall, Daniel Webster, Joseph Story, and William Wirt. Ultimately, the judges had trouble deciding, so this compilation of five essays was finally published in 1840. The most notable is William Ladd's Essay on a Congress of Nations which first appeared here. $1,750.

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