Description
The first edition of Prayers in the Senate by Chaplain Edward E. Hale.
Twelvemo, ix, [1], 136pp, [1]. White vellum, title stamped in gilt on the spine. Presumably a presentation binding. Top edge gilt. Light soiling to the spine, internally clean. Solid text block.
Inscribed on the half-title: “Elisa – with the love of EEH. Aug. 2, 1906.”
Edward Everett Hale (1822-1909) was an American Unitarian minister, author, historian, and reformer, best known for his patriotic short story, The Man Without a Country, first published in The Atlantic Monthly in 1863 during the Civil War. Born in Boston and educated at Harvard, Hale served for decades as minister of the South Congregational Church in Boston and was active in antislavery, educational, and social reform causes. He wrote essays, sermons, histories, fiction, and children’s books, often combining moral instruction with civic idealism. His best-known work, written to strengthen Union sentiment, tells the story of Philip Nolan, a fictional army officer condemned to live without news of the United States after renouncing his country. Hale later served as chaplain of the United States Senate.
