59 B a u m a n R a r e B o o k s Extraordinary Extra-Illustrated And Exquisitely Bound 24-Volume Set Of Lincoln’s Works, With One Volume Completely Devoted To Original Documents And Signatures, Including A Rare Signed Set Of Lincoln Ship’s Papers For A Whaling Vessel And Signatures, Letters And Documents By Van Buren, Buchanan, Pierce And Others 74. LINCOLN, Abraham. The Complete Works of Abraham Lincoln. Edited by John G. Nicolay and John Hay. New York, 1905. Twenty-four volumes. Octavo, contemporary full inlaid crushed brown morocco gilt. $67,500. “New and Enlarged” edition of the Presidential Edition of Nicolay and Hay’s monumental collection of Lincoln’s works: a stated “unique extra-illustrated copy,” expanded from 12 volumes to 24 with more than four hundred plates—engraved and mounted portraits of Lincoln, his contemporaries and rivals; maps and views of Civil War battles; and printed manuscript facsimiles—beautifully and sumptuously bound in full morocco-gilt with inlaid morocco, Art Nouveau floral decorations, and a watercolor miniature of Lincoln’s log cabin home in every volume. With final volume containing a cut signature and a rare and desirable set of ship’s papers for a whaling ship signed by Lincoln, a clipped signature of Martin Van Buren, ship’s papers signed by James Buchanan, and over 30 additional document and signatures from such notable Americans as Charles Sumner, William Seward, Hannibal Hamlin and Robert Todd Lincoln. An altogether splendid, impressive and desirable production. John Nicolay, Lincoln’s private secretary, “enjoyed the intimate friendship of the President… Few men were as close to Lincoln as Nicolay or so fully enjoyed his confidence.” John Hay, after serving as Lincoln’s assistant and confidante, served as Secretary of State under Presidents McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt, and also achieved literary fame. The two men collaborated for over a decade; their monumental biography of Lincoln and definitive collection of his works, first published in 1890 and 1894, were the result. Their work “stands as an impressive monument, not only because of the vastness of the undertaking but also because of its enduring historical significance” (DAB). In 1905, Tandy published the Gettysburg Edition of Nicolay and Hay’s work, 1000 sets “commonly bound in red cloth… Variants from [the] same plates appear as [the] Memorial and Presidential Editions… The latter consists of 50 registered sets printed throughout on Japanese vellum,” and bound in a fashion similar but not identical to the present set (Monaghan 1471). Those 50 sets bore the imprint “Tandy-Thomas” on the volumes’ title pages. The present set’s title pages bear only the Tandy imprint, and further identify the production as a “New and Enlarged” edition of Lincoln’s Works, a notice that does not appear in the 50 registered sets. The number of these stated “unique extra illustrated” copies is unknown, but cannot have been large, given that no two sets could contain all the same inserted illustrations. Sets of both the Presidential Edition and the “New andEnlarged” Presidential Edition are found extraillustrated. This set includes a final, 24th volume consisting of additional portraits bound with over 30 letters and official documents signed by some of the leading figures of the period. A beautifully bound, splendidly extra-illustrated set dedicated to the life, writings and legacy of President Lincoln, in fine condition.
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