[Rarebooks] FS: Aardvark Rare Books SUNDOWNER SALE ITEM 23-1: Grant U.S - Memoirs - Morocco Bound

[A.E. Tishman]

Ezra and Josh will occasionally offer better books later in the day, or even into the evening, after many readers of listservs such as this have come home from the office, or closed their shops, cooked and eaten their suppers, and are sipping their sherry, or snorfing at their bowl, and streaming their stories, or even, hunkered down with
that thing called a book. Here then, a familiar classic, in extraordinarily lovely condition, with a wee bit of a checkered past.

GRANT, Ulysses S. (Edited by Mark Twain). PERSONAL MEMOIRS OF U.S. GRANT DELUXE BLACK FULL MOROCCO EDITION,

(TWO VOLUMES, COMPLETE). New York: Charles L. Webster, 1885 & 1886. First Edition. 8vos. Mixed set. Publisher’s Deluxe black full morocco (goatskin,the premium binding offered only to subscribers, then purportedly $12.00 for the set, at time of order, then publication. Medallions, stamped in blind, to front and rear boards of both volumes, front boards commemorating the Joint Resolution of Congress December 17, 1863, and the rear boards the Mississippi River, quite dear to Twain. All edges gilt, gilt dentelle, and gilt board-edges as well. Steel engravings, all maps present as called for, fold-out map and letter-facsimiles tipped-in. Extremely slight rubbing to extremities; overall, very clean, with tight textblock. Minor shelfwear, and some very light rubbing to extremities. Curiously, Volume I ever-so slightly-taller than Volume 2.  

In a larger buy, we found only one volume (II)  which taunted us because it fell into our hands in time-warp condition,  a serious widower which nonetheless kept its figure in hopes of meeting someone. After some time, we were able to find a new partner, propose the match, and the two hit it off.  One of the boards has been expertly reattached, and the couple are very happy together, ready for prime time. Beautiful set. Near Fine. See the pictures below. 

Not yet released to online venues and when we do, it will be listed for somewhat more.

																							  $3,650

There is a convoluted, eminently human and sometimes tawdry tale surrounding the publication of these memoirs. 

"...The first books published by Twain's firm were these Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant, and Twain's own Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Having been defrauded of his estate, Grant was determined to leave some financial legacy, and was still working on these memoirs several months before his death, despite the fact that many of the chapters were written when he was suffering from terminal throat cancer. Mark Twain established his own publishing firm in 1885 and placed his niece's husband Charles Webster in charge. "Written frantically while in a race with death, these recollections rank with the best of the Civil War period." (Nevins II, 59). " Charles Luther Webster (September 24, 1851 – April 28, 1891) served as Mark Twain's business manager and was eventually installed as the head of Twain's publishing company, Charles L. Webster and Co., named for Webster. Webster was born in Charlotte, New York in 1851 and married Annie Moffett, Mark Twain's niece, in 1875... When Twain decided to start his own publishing company in 1884, he hired Webster to head the company and named it after him, promoting him to full partner in March 1885. Twain came to feel Webster was incompetent and removed him from the company in 1888, while retaining Webster's name. In his autobiography, Twain described Webster as 'one of the most assful persons I have ever met–perhaps the most assful.'..." "Rumors have persisted for many years that Ulysses S. Grant did not entirely write his own memoirs..." "...They were started by Adam Badeau, one Grant’s former staff officers in the U.S. Army who assisted Grant during the early stages of writing the memoirs. Most notably, Badeau helped Grant with some of the details concerning the battles they had served in during the Civil War. Badeau had already written his own trilogy on Grant’s career, Military History of US Grant. Badeau, however, became disgruntled and felt like he was not getting the credit he deserved for the creation of the memoir. Badeau began spreading rumors that he was responsible for much of the writing of the memoirs and that he was hired as a ghost writer to help Grant. He also asked Grant for a pay increase. These rumors would eventually make their way into the newspapers... " In a February 2012 article for The Atlantic writer Ta-Nehisi Coates explained the myth by stating that, 'a lot of really intelligent people are under the impression that Grant’s lucid prose are really the result of Mark Twain’s editing hand . . . My sense is that people read Grant’s writing, hear about the association with Twain and assume that explains it.” However, the claim is untrue. The original hand-written manuscript still survives and is entirely penned with Grant’s own handwriting.--- "Twain worked by Grant’s side over the next several months as Grant wrote his now famous memoirs, providing literary advice as Grant wrote out each page. Twain also proof-read the pages as Grant worked tirelessly to finish the book before he passed away. The entire writing was nevertheless Grant’s words and thoughts. There is no way Twain could have known so many facts about the Mexican War and the Civil War, both of which heavily detailed in the memoirs...' "...Grant passed away on the morning of July 23, 1885 just days after finishing his memoir. The book was sold in two volumes at that time through the subscription system proposed by Twain. Despite the rumors created by Adam Badeau, the book became an instant bestseller. Twain said that the book was one of the best written he had everseen. Charles Webster Publishing wrote a check for $200,000 to give to Julia Dent Grant in early 1886. It was the biggest royalty check written up to that time. Grant’s Personal Memoirs are still in print today and are often considered one of the best written ever produced by a former president. (Wikipedia,, and/or R. Kent Rasmussen’s Mark Twain A-Z - 1995 Oxford U. Press) Mark Twain's Autobiography, and notes from The National Park Service, U.S. Dept. of Interior, ) 

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