Description
The first edition of Annual of Scientific Discovery, edited by David A. Wells, from the library of President Millard Fillmore.
Octavo, xx, [21], 419pp, [12pp ads]. Publisher’s brown cloth, title stamped in gilt on the spine, rubbed. No additional printings noted. Light wear to spine, fraying along head of the spine, lightly bumped corners. Frontispiece portrait with tissue cover. Occasional foxing and toning throughout.
This copy is from the library of President Millard Fillmore, with his signature on the front pastedown. Dated May 7, 1859, in Fillmore’s hand.
(Provenance: Parke Bernet, Lot 263, 1944)
Millard Fillmore (1800-1874), the 13th President of the United States, assumed office in 1850 following the death of President Zachary Taylor. A member of the Whig Party, Fillmore faced significant challenges during his presidency, particularly in navigating the contentious issue of slavery in the newly acquired territories from the Mexican-American War. His signing of the Compromise of 1850, which included the controversial Fugitive Slave Act, aimed to maintain a delicate balance between the Northern and Southern states but ultimately exacerbated tensions leading up to the Civil War.
