Wallace, Lew.

8vo (168 x 113mm.), first edition (dated title-page and dedication in two lines), 12pp. publisher's catalogue at rear, original grey-blue cloth with coloured floral designs, lettered in black, dust-jacket, grey morocco-backed folding box, minor repair to second leaf of sixth gathering, slight spotting, extremities of binding slightly worn and faded, minor stains to lower cover, soiled dust-jacket frayed at extremities with some loss to head of spine, dust-jacket supplied from another copy

George Barr McCutcheon, bookplate; Marjorie Wiggin Prescott, her sale, Christie's New York, 6 February 1981, lot 320 (part)

BAL 20798; Grolier American 82

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Extremely rare in dust-jacket. Records suggest that no copy in a dust-jacket has been sold at auction for at least thirty years.

"In America, 300,000 copies were sold in the first ten years after publication, making it one of the highest-ranking bestsellers of the nineteenth century" (Grolier).

Also included is an autograph letter signed ("Lew. Wallace") to the editor of The Century Magazine in which the author encloses an instalment of "The Capture of Fort Donelson" and apologises for his delays (1 page, Crawfordsville, 8 October 1884, folds, minor repair to split at fold)