Description
The first edition of Herndon’s Lincoln: The True Story of a Great Life by William H. Herndon and Jesse William Weik. From the estate of Illinois Governor George Ryan.
Octavo, [three volumes], xx, 199pp, [5pp appendix]; [6], 205-418pp, [4pp appendix]; [4], 423-638pp, [2]. Publisher’s navy blue cloth, title stamped on spine, facsimile signature of Lincoln on front cover. Floral endpapers, top edge gilt. Light rubbing to boards, some wear to tips of the spine. Bookplates of “Daniel J. Ryan” and “Paul Butler” affixed to the front pastedown of different volumes. All three volumes with solid text blocks. Frontispiece portrait of Lincoln in Volume I, with numerous full page portraits and views throughout. Housed in a custom brown leatherette slipcase, lined with felt.
(Howes H440) (Monaghan 1049)
An attractive set, with interesting provenance.
This set is from the estate of Illinois Governor George Ryan (1934-2025), serving from 1999 to 2003. He became nationally known for declaring a moratorium on executions and, in 2003, commuting the sentences of all inmates on Illinois’s death row. His legacy is mixed, because he was later convicted on federal corruption charges and served time in prison.
