"THEY WERE EAGER FOR A WAR, AND WISHED TO MAKE A STROKE OF NOTE AGAINST THEIR FOES": THE WINNING OF THE WEST, WITH FINE MANUSCRIPT LEAF IN ROOSEVELT'S HAND

ROOSEVELT, Theodore. The Winning of the West. New York and London: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1900. Four volumes. Large octavo, contemporary full dark green morocco with gilt floral ornaments, raised bands, gilt turn-ins, red suede doublures and endpapers, top edges gilt, uncut. $22,000.

Splendid Daniel Boone edition, number 138 of only 200 copies of Roosevelt's greatest historical work, finely bound in green morocco with red suede doublures, copiously illustrated and with an original manuscript leaf tipped in.

In 1884, Roosevelt went to the Dakota Badlands "as a refuge from tragedy and disappointment. His young wife and his mother had both died on Valentine's Day that year, and in the summer his reformist faction had been defeated at the Republican national convention. The isolation and immensity of the Badlands helped him escape these misfortunes, and offered a retreat where he could pursue his interest in writing… [including his] four-volume history of the early frontier" (PBS, The West). Roosevelt was the most prolific American President and, perhaps, most accomplished writer of them all, publishing over 50 books, all without the aid of staff or ghostwriters. Winning of the West covers the years 1769-1807, and was one of the works that "helped shape the popular impression of the West at the turn of the century" (Lamar, 987).

The manuscript leaf (approximately 8 by 5-1/2 inches) in this set is written entirely in Roosevelt's hand, and supplies reference notes for portions of Volume IV, Chapter III, "Tennessee Becomes a State, 1791-1796"—summarizing two letters written to William Blount in 1791, one from David Allison (a lawyer and political operator) discussing land speculation in the area, and one from Benjamin Hawkins (a statesman and U.S. Indian agent) advising against drawing a territorial border that "would give great offence to all 4 tribes, who consider part of the lands as a sort of common hunting ground" (see Volume IV, pages 118 and 123 for Roosevelt's use of the material, documented in footnotes). First published 1889-96. Illustrated with five folding maps and 103 tissue-guarded plates, including Indian chiefs, landscapes, and portraits of Daniel Boone, Ethan Allen, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Aaron Burr, Sam Houston, Meriwether Lewis, Zebulon Pike, Roosevelt and others. See Wheelock, 11. Howes R433.

Text and plates overall very clean, with offsetting to two pages from a laid-in newspaper clipping about Roosevelt's burial, dated 1919; outer edge of folding map in volume I slightly ragged. Spines evenly toned; minor rubbing to boards. A handsome set, with an exceptional original manuscript leaf demonstrating Roosevelt's engagement with primary sources.