Description
Inscribed to wife of the Secretary of the Navy William Whitney, first edition of Allan Dare and Robert Le Diable by Admiral David D. Porter.
Octavo, [two volumes], iv, 432pp; 433-876pp. Tan patterned cloth, title in gilt on spine and front cover. Small illustrated portraits to front covers. Solid text blocks, light wear to corners. Occasional wear along gutter, still sturdy. Features multiple full page plates, including a frontispiece in each volume. Inscription reads: “Presented to Mrs. William I. Whitney with the kind regards of the Author / David D. Porter / Admiral” on the front free endpaper of Volume I.
William Whitney (1841-1904) served as Secretary of the Navy under President Grover Cleveland. Whitney’s wife, Flora Payne (1848-1893), was the daughter of Ohio Senator Henry B. Payne, and was named one of Ward McAllister’s “Four Hundred” Best Families, as published by the New York Times. The author, Admiral David D. Porter (1813-1891) was a Navy Admiral and member of one of the most well-respected families of the U.S. Navy. The Porters include his grandfather Captain David Porter of the Revolutionary War, his father Captain David Porter, and his uncle Captain John Porter of the War of 1812.
