1863 Life of Stonewall Jackson John Esten Cooke Civil War First Union Edition

  

Original 1863 New York edition of The Life of Stonewall Jackson, published by Charles B. Richardson and issued anonymously as By a Virginian. The author is bibliographically identified as Virginia writer John Esten Cooke. The title page states that the book was reprinted from advance sheets of the Richmond edition. This New York issue is commonly described as the First Union edition and was published during the Civil War in the same year Stonewall Jackson died.

Original blind-stamped cloth hardcover with gilt spine lettering and an engraved frontispiece portrait of Lieutenant General T. The front endpaper has a period ownership inscription dated January 9, 1864.

"John Esten Cooke" is written in pencil on the title page as an identification of the anonymous author; it is not represented as the author's signature. The binding shows rubbing, edge wear and cloth loss at the spine head and corners. Pages have extensive foxing and age staining. The portrait tissue guard is torn with a large section missing, and some photographed gutters show looseness and exposed sewing. A desirable early Stonewall Jackson biography with strong Civil War-era interest. Please examine all photographs carefully, as they are part of the description and condition.