Description
Signed by President James K. Polk, the first edition of The National Portrait Gallery Of Distinguished Americans, Volume IV, from the library of President James K. Polk in Tennessee.
Quarto, [12], [325]. Modern three quarter tan calf, marbled boards, new endpapers. Includes the half-title. This work is complete, with a frontispiece title page and 39 copperplate portraits, all with tissue covers. Notable wear to the John Adams plate, occasional foxing and toning to subsequent plates. (Sabin 31577)
This work is signed by President James K. Polk on the frontispiece portrait.
This work was issued in four volumes, published between 1836-1839, while Polk was serving as the Governor of Tennessee. The work featured a total of 144 portraits. After the death of President James K. Polk’s in 1849, his personal library remained at his Nashville residence, Polk Place, under the care of his widow, Sarah Childress Polk. Upon her death in 1891, many of Polk’s books and papers were dispersed. Some volumes were donated to Vanderbilt University and other institutions, while others entered private collections. A significant portion of his remaining books and personal effects were later transferred to the James K. Polk Home and Museum in Columbia, Tennessee.
