A Rosetta Stone for Early English Legal Documents By 1776, the year Wright published the first edition of Court-Hand Restored, the written conventions of early English legal documents, which had been taught for generations, were becoming esoteric. Concerned that younger lawyers would be unable to understand the work of their predecessors, Wright intended his work to be a kind of Rosetta stone. Long a standard work, this reference went through ten editions by 1912. It remains an indispensable guide when consulting early charters, deeds or records. The ninth edition, the source of our reprint, is preferred because it is the last issued with engraved plates (rather than the photostat plates used in the otherwise-identical tenth edition). xviii, [94], 99 pp. Illustrated.