Amazon.com description: Product Description: Whitmore, William H. The Law of Adoption in the United States, and Especially in Massachusetts. Albany: Joel Munsell, 1876. vii, 111 pp. Reprint available 2003 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. LCCN 2002042757. Hardcover. New. Reprint of first and only edition. In 1875 the Massachusetts legislature considered a proposal to revise the state's adoption laws. Before it proceeded, however, it commissioned this study from Whitmore to serve as a reference for the legislators. Written in two parts, the first contains the texts of laws and related cases from twenty-two states. (He also includes a brief summary of relevant European statutes.) Organized by topic, the second describes how these laws compare and differ. Though written for a specific purpose, this study remains a valuable guide for the scholar of the history of adoption law or family law to all aspects of American adoption law during the nineteenth century.