The Writings of John Fiske in Twenty-Four Volumes. Cambridge: The Riverside Press, 1902.
First Edition. Limited Edition, number 810 of 1000. Two Signed, handwritten letters by author tipped in, one in Volume I and another in Volume X. Letter in Volume I dated “Aug 19/85” and addressed to “My Dear Shepard,” explaining author’s inability to pay a debt until his lecture season two months later in October. He writes, “I have / almost forgotten how a dollar looks. / Last week I was even bare of / stamps and postal cards as / well as nickels, and could send / no letters. // It does not look ... / as if there were much show / of making my literary work / turn into anything of a / legal-tender character...” John fiske was an American philosopher and historian, and popular lecturer early in his career. Complete set of twenty-four volumes of his works containing historical, philosophical, religious, and scientific writings together with essay, lectures, and addresses. Letter in Volume X, includes envelope stamped and addressed to A. H Dooley of the Saturday Herald in Indianapolis. Letter dated “Feb. 28/84” and describes military history of 1776, as well as a brief description of a work of his History, which “will fill / 3 or 4 vols., + will not be / out for 2 or 3 years yet.” He also boasts, “I have had audiences of 1000 and more here in/ Boston, and have had to repeat the lectures even a third time, /beginning on my third course before 1st was quite finished!” First twelve volumes present the country’s history from its “discovery” to the adoption of the Constitution of the United States, and includes maps, facsimiles of documents, charts, and illustrations. Second twelve volumes contain his miscellaneous writings, also illustrated. With vintage bookplate of Walter M. Parker, of Manchester, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, the Delegate to the Republican National Convention from New Hampshire in 1916. Complete in twenty four volumes, octavo, original dark blue cloth, paper spine labels, illustrated throughout with black and white plates, some partial color maps. Very Good plus, firmly bound volumes with yellowing to spine and some volumes with visible staining to spine and spine stamps, some light surface wear and wrinkling to cloth, some volumes with modest staining to rear cover, textually clean.
Price: $1,200.00