Description
From the Fleuron Press, “House Divided” speech by President Abraham Lincoln.
Octavo, [unpaginated]. Black cloth spine with title in gilt, yellow and green marbled boards with matching slipcase. Stated “privately printed” on title page, with “1977” in Roman numerals. Solid text block, appears unread with unopened pages, a fine example. Slipcase has chipping along top edge. Limitation page states this copy to be 191 of 195 printed “for distribution to the friends of Fleuron Press, Inc.”
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) originally gave his “House Divided” speech to the members of the Republican State Convention in Springfield, Illinois on June 16, 1858, hours after he was chosen to run for the U.S. Senate. He debated against Democratic candidate Stephen A. Douglas and lost the seat due to his moral standings on slavery as America expanded westward. Through the speeches Lincoln gave in the years following his defeat, he gained a significant following nationwide. Lincoln entered office as President three years later in 1861, and the Civil War began in April, one month after his inauguration.
