following narrative; and it is the object of this preface to give him that satisfaction. It was in the summer of 1805 that the design of writing this biography was first conceived. It was produced by an incident of feeling, which however it affected the author at the time, might now, be thought light and trivial by the reader, and he shall not therefore, be detained by the recital of it. The author knew nothing of Mr. Henry, personally. He had never seen him; and was of course, compelled to rely wholly on the information of ...
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following narrative; and it is the object of this preface to give him that satisfaction. It was in the summer of 1805 that the design of writing this biography was first conceived. It was produced by an incident of feeling, which however it affected the author at the time, might now, be thought light and trivial by the reader, and he shall not therefore, be detained by the recital of it. The author knew nothing of Mr. Henry, personally. He had never seen him; and was of course, compelled to rely wholly on the information of others. As soon, therefore, as the design was formed of writing his life, aware of the necessity of losing no time, in collecting, from the few remaining coevals of Mr. Henry, that personal knowledge of the subject which might erelong be expected to die with them, the author despatched letters to every quarter of the state in which it occurred to him as probable, that interesting matter might be found; and he was gratified by the prompt attention which was paid to his inquiries. There were at that time, living in the county of Hanover, three gentlemen of the first respectability, who had been the companions of Mr. Henry's childhood and youth: these were, col. Charles Dabney, capt. George Dabney, and col. William O. Winston; the two first of whom are still living. Not having the pleasure of a personal acquaintance with these gentlemen, the author interested the late Mr. Nathaniel Pope in his object, and by his instrumentality, procured all the useful information which was in their possession. Mr. Pope is well known to have been a gentleman of uncommonly vigorous and discriminating mind; a sacred observer of truth, and a man of the purest sense of honour. The author cannot recall the memory of this most amiable and excellent man, to whom (if there be any merit in this work) the friends of Mr. Henry and the state of Virginia owe so many obligations, without paying to that revered memory, the tribute of his respect and affection. Mr. Pope was one of those ardent young Virginians, who embarked, before they had attained their maturity, in the cause of the American revolution: he joined an animated and active corps of horse, and signalized himself by an impetuous gallantry, which drew upon him the eyes and the applause of his commander. In peace, he was as mild as he had been brave in war; his bosom was replete with the kindest affections; he was in truth, one of the best of companions, and one of the warmest of friends. The fact, that he was the acknowledged head of the several bars at which he practiced in the country, may assure the reader of his capacity for the commission which he so cheerfully undertook, in regard to Mr. Henry; and the unblemished integrity of his life may assure him also, of the fidelity with which that commission was executed. So many important anecdotes in the following work, depend on the credit of this gentleman as a witness, that the slight sketch which has been given of his character will not, it is hoped, be thought foreign to the purpose of this preface. Mr. Pope did not confine his inquiries to the county of Hanover: he was indefatigable in collecting information from every quarter; which he never accepted however, but from the purest sources; and his authority for every incident was given, with the most scrupulous accuracy. The author had hoped to have had it in his power to gratify this gentleman by submitting to his view the joint result of their labours, and obtaining the benefit of his last corrections; but he was disappointed by his untimely and melancholy death. He fell a victim to that savage practice, which under the false name of honour, continued to prevail too long; and his death is believed to have been highly instrumental in hastening that system of legislation in restraint of this practice, which now exists in Virginia. Besides the contributions furnished by Mr. Pope, the writer derived material aid from various other quarters.
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Seller's Description:
Very good. Limited edition. Minor shelf and handling wear, overall a clean solid copy with minimal signs of use. The binding suffers moderate loosening due to age and wear, but remains secure and in-tact; the pages are clean and unmarked. Secure packaging for safe delivery.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good with no dust jacket. Leatherbound hard cover published by Palladium Press in 2002. No dust jacket. Brown leather covers with gilt lettering and designs. Spine has four raised bands. Page edges are gilt-covered, and side edges have two slight scratches. Inside front cover has an address label from a prior owner in upper corner. Book is in very good condition. 8vo, 427 pages, 1.7 lb.; The Library Of American Freedoms; 8vo 8"-9" tall; 427 pages.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. Very Good condition. (Literature, Biography, history) A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp.
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Seller's Description:
Good. The cover has normal wear. The text has no notes or markings. The cover is creased, or has minor bend. The binding is tight and pages are intact.
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Seller's Description:
Acceptable. 1836. Leatherbound. 8vo. 468 pp. Ninth edition, revised. Some shelf wear, scuffing, rubbing to boards, with mild chipping to head of spine. Corners bumped. Bookplate to front pastedown. Front binding cracked. Front and rear pages loose but present. Noticeable foxing and toning to pages. Altogether a sound working copy. (Subject: American History. )
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Seller's Description:
Good. "Corrected by the Author." 9. x 6 inches, old full brown calf, dark red leather spine label, good copy with some rubbing and wear to binding, some loss of leather to top inch of spine, contents good to very good. With early American bookplate of Joseph Wickes IV (1788-1864) of Chestertown MD. xv, 427 (12) pp. with frontispiece. Text clean and unmarked. Signed on the title page by Wickes. Colonel Joseph Wickes was born in Kent County in 1788, the son of Joseph and Mary Piner Wickes. He was a descendant of the Wickes family founded in Maryland by Major Joseph Wickes, who emigrated to America in 1650 when 30 years old. Major Wickes soon became a large landholder, a prominent public figure, and presiding judge of the Kent County Court. Colonel Wickes attended Washington College in Chestertown and after graduation began the study of law in the office of James Houston, who purchased Airy Hill (from Jonathan Harris in 1814) and who later became his brother-in-law. After his admission to the bar in 1810, Colonel Wickes began a successful practice in Chestertown. He served as deputy attorney general of Maryland for Kent and Cecil counties until about 1850, when he retired from legal practice. During the War of 1812 he fought in the battle of Caulk's Field (1814); he was subsequently commissioned colonel of a regiment of the state militia, a commission he held for many years. At the start of the Civil War, Colonel Wickes was active in the organization of a federally-sponsored militia for Kent County. The counties of Maryland, including Kent, had begun forming militia units in 1860 for protection against outside interference in their local affairs.
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Seller's Description:
Acceptable. Philadelphia: James Webster, 1818. 3rd edition. 8vo Leather Bound. 427pp+appendix. Fair book. Heavily edgeworn. Pages age toned. Upper corner of rear free endpaper torn away. Slightly dampstained. Writing inside. Owner's name on front free endpaper and title page. Typical period foxing throughout. From the library of American author, columnist, journalist, and presidential speechwriter William Safire. (US history, american revolution, biography) Inquire if you need further information.
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Seller's Description:
Very good(-) Frontis. xv, 427, xii, pp. 8vo, modern 1/2 brown morocco, scattered light foxing, pages throughout are slightly wavy. light dampstain to upper right corner of pages near end. Philadelphia: James Webster, 1818. "His work was acquired largely from men who had known Henry and it was presented in a laudatory and ornate manner." DAB XX, p. 420. Howes W-586.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. 1817 James Webster Philadelphis in contemporary tree leather binding. Ownership ink to flyleaf, small damp stain to prelims and frontis, toning throughout and marginal damage to 4 pages of the appendix. Please email for photos.
