Description
Signed by Vice President Henry Wilson, History of the Rise and Fall of the Slave Power in America, an early history of the American Civil War.
Octavo, [two volumes of three], xxiii, 670pp; xxii, 720pp. Publisher’s green cloth, title stamped in gilt on spines and front covers, beveled edges, title stamped in blind on rear cover of both volumes. Brown endpapers, solid text blocks. Faint toning to endpapers in both volumes, otherwise near fine. (Howes W524) First published as a three-volume set between 1872-1877, with the third volume published posthumously. This set contains Volume I and Volume II, a fourth and second edition respectively. Signed by Vice President Henry Wilson on the flyleaf of Volume I. An exceptionally scarce signed copy by former Vice President Wilson.
Vice President Henry Wilson (1812-1875) served as vice president during the Grant administration from 1873-1875, dying before the end of his term and leaving the office vacant. He served in the United States Senate from 1855-1873, representing the state of Massachusetts. Wilson was a Republican and a vocal opponent of slavery, dedicating much of his life to the destruction of the “Slave Power,” the politically powerful slave owners in Southern states.
