When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
John Quincy Adams. The Duplicate Letters, the Fisheries and the Mississippi.
1822. First edition. SABIN 276. Shaw & Shoemaker 7740.
Washington: Printed by Davis and Force (Franklin\'s Head), Pennsylvania Avenue.
Written while Adams served as Secretary of State—two years before he won the presidency —this 256-page work is his detailed defense against charges that he had offered to trade American navigation rights on the Mississippi for fishing privileges off Newfoundland during the Treaty of Ghent negotiations that ended the War of 1812. Adams assembled the documentary record himself, and the resulting volume became a defining document of early American diplomacy and a centerpiece of the factional politics leading to the contested 1824 presidential election.
This copy bears a manuscript inscription on the title page: \"Macdonald — 1832 / from G.M. Davis.\" The Davis surname raises the possibility of a connection to William A. Davis of Davis and Force, the Washington printing firm that produced this work, though the relationship has not been confirmed.
An armorial bookplate bearing a double-headed eagle and the motto \"CONSTANTER\" with the name \"Hoar.\" appears on the front pastedown, along with a red octagonal shelf label numbered 902. The Hoar family of Massachusetts produced several prominent figures in American law and politics, including congressman and abolitionist Samuel Hoar (1778-1856) of Concord and his son U.S. Senator George Frisbie Hoar (1826-1904). The family arms — a double-headed eagle displayed within an engrailed bordure — match the device on this bookplate.
Condition: See detailed photos.Original blue-gray paper-covered boards over tan paper spine with printed label. Boards soiled with edge wear. Spine with light splitting and minor loss at head and tail. Tape repair to front interior hinge. Text block tight. Light toning to text throughout. Heavier foxing to rear endpapers. Reach out with any questions.
Professionally packed and shipped with care.
