“THE CIVIL WAR BURST UPON THE UNITED STATES”: ABBOTT’S CONTEMPORARY ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR, 1863-66
(CIVIL WAR) ABBOTT, John S[tevens] C[abot]. The History of the Civil War in America. New York: Ledyard Bill, 1863, 1866. Two volumes. Octavo, original blind-stamped brown cloth gilt rebacked, marbled endpapers and edges.
Early editions of Abbott’s profusely illustrated two-volume History of the Civil War, issued shortly after the first editions, with steel-engraved frontispieces of Lincoln and Grant, 28 full-page steel-engraved portraits and illustrations of battles, and 47 maps (17 full-page).
19th-century American historian and clergyman Abbott was already known for his popular biography of Bonaparte before the outbreak of the Civil War. At the height of the conflict, Abbott began work on this History, one of his most well-known works This two-volume chronicle, which is “strongly pro-Union” and anti-slavery (Nevins II:3), displays Abbott’s skill at bringing the war to life with his “picturesque narrative…[that] did much to popularize the reading of history”(ANB). Preceded by the New York 1863-65 editions issued by H. Bill. Containing steel-engraved frontispiece portraits in each volume, 28 steel-engraved plates, 17 full-page and 30 in-text maps. Volume II with two in-text maps of “Fortifications of Corinths” (219, 354), without map of “South Mountain and Vicinity”; two rear leaves of ads. See Sabin 36; Dornbusch III: 175; Nevins II:3. Owner signatures.
Text, maps and plates fresh with light scattered foxing. A handsome near-fine copy.