Beschreibung:

LINCOLN, Abraham and Stephen A. Douglas (1813-1861). Political Debates between Hon. Abraham Lincoln and Hon. Stephen A. Douglas. In the Celebrated Campaign of 1858, in Illinois. Including the Preceding Speeches of Each, at Chicago, Springfield, Etc.: Also the Two Great Speeches of Mr. Lincoln, in Ohio, in 1859. Carefully Prepared by the Reporter of Each, at Chicago, at the Times of their Delivery. Columbus: Follett, Foster and Company, 1860. Tall 8vo, 240 x 150 mm. (9 x 6 in.), original publisher's chocolate cloth, worn at top and bottom of spine and corners, but a good copy, the text entirely without the usual foxing, blue cloth clamshell protective case. FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE, with signature mark "2" at bottom of page 17 and with rule over the Follett, Foster & Co. imprint on verso of title-page, PRESENTATION COPY TO NORMAN M. BROADWELL, boldly inscribed in dark brown ink by Lincoln at top of front free endpage: "To N.M. Broadwell, Esq. with respects of A. Lincoln." Sabin 41156; Monaghan 69; Harry E. Pratt, "Lincoln Autographed Debates," in Manuscripts , 6:4 (Summer 1954), p. 196. A FINE PRESENTATION LINCOLN-DOUGLAS Debates , ONE OF THREE KNOWN COPIES INSCRIBED IN INK An interesting association copy with a rare inscription in ink, to a Springfield attorney who studied law under Lincoln. The text of these debates, the most celebrated in American political history, was set in type from Lincoln's personal scrapbook, into which he had pasted transcripts of his and Douglas' addresses as they were printed (at times imperfectly, from stenographic records) in the Chicago Press and Tribune and elsewhere. This collection was issued in April, a few months before Lincoln won the presidential nomination at the Republican party convention. It rapidly became a best-seller--attesting to the national interest stirred by the momentous issues which were the subject of these oratorical duels--and over 30,000 copies were printed, sold, and read in a matter of months ( Abraham Lincoln Encyclopedia, p. 81). Lincoln personally received 100 copies to distribute to friends, but Pratt's pioneering census located only 18 of these; several other presentation copies have come to light since then, but all but two he listed were inscribed in pencil. Apparently, after inscribing a few copies in his usual ink, and noticing its tendency to "feather" due to the absorbent paper on which the book was printed, Lincoln inscribed subsequent copies in pencil. It is quite likely, therefore, that the ink-inscribed copies are among the earliest Lincoln inscribed. These copies bearing ink inscriptions include a presentation to Stephen T. Logan, and one to Dr. J.B. Fox, formerly in the Martin Collection (sale, Sotheby's, 31 January 1990, lot 2527, $170,000 hammer). Pratt notes rumors of another copy--purportedly inscribed in ink to Harry Levenson--but that copy has never surfaced. The present copy was not known to Pratt. Norman M. Broadwell (1825-1893), to whom the book is inscribed, had studied law as a preceptor with Lincoln in the Lincoln & Herndon offices in Springfield and was admitted to the bar in 1850. Ironically, in his first case, he found the opposing counsel to be his former teacher, Lincoln. Later Broadwell had several partners including Shelby M. Cullom and John A. McClernand; he became active in Democratic politics, served as Sangamon County judge in 1862 and in 1867 as Mayor of Springfield.