May 27, 2020 Founders & Patriots
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/27/2020
[George Washington]. "Official Letters to the Honorable American Congress, Written, During the War Between the United Colonies and Great-Britain, by His Excellency George Washington, Commander in Chief of the Continental Forces: Now President of the United States." New York: Printed by Samuel Campbell, 1796. 2nd Edition (Frist published the prior year). 2 volumes. 276; [ii], 311 pp. octavo (7 3/8 x 4 5/8 in.) in recent full calf binding, with raised bands, gilt, tooled trim and morocco labels. Correspondence between Washington and the Continental Congress during the Revolutionary War. Howes W142.
[with]
[George Washington]. "Epistles Domestic, Confidential and Official from General Washington, written about the commencement of the American contest, when he entered on the command of the Army of the United States..." New York: Printed by G. Robinson and J. Bull, 1796. xiv, 303 pp. octavo (7 3/8 x 4 5/8 in.)in recent full calf binding, with raised bands, gilt, tooled trim and morocco labels to match the set above. Important, early compilation of Washington's correspondence with British and American dignitaries, including British admirals Arbuthnot and Digby, Generals Clinton, Cornwallis, Carleton, Lafayette, Alexander Hamilton, and others, written from 1779 to 1783, covering the latter part of his tenure as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. This copy lacks the frontispiece portrait and the blank leaf following p.xiv (as is often the case). The collection, published as a supplement to Washington's Original Letters to the Congress (1795), whiich covered the years 1775 to 1778, is notable for contaning seven "spurious letters" (pp. [4]-66), Tory forgeries that had previously circulated in which Washington appears to express doubts about the Revolution and which he disavowed in a communication to Secretary of State Timothy Pickering, asserting "that he had never seen or heard of them until they appeared in print." This copy without the printed leaf with Washington's statement regarding the forgeries, which was printed later and inserted into unsold copies. Evans 30392; Howes W133; Sabin 101742. CONDITION: a handsomely-bound set, the first two with clean, but lightly toned pages and the third, clean and bright. JLK