Coquillette said Ess became interested in legal texts while working at Langdell Library during his years at HLS. After graduating, he practiced law in New York at the law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell. Ess built his collection by purchasing books at auctions and from booksellers in England and the United States.
The last large gift to Langdell Library was the 1913 donation by book collector George Dunn of early English legal books that he had assembled during the nineteenth century.
To celebrate the gift, 200 legal scholars, historians, and other members of the HLS community assembled last night at the library for a special viewing.