The Great War Library “Shoulder Strap” Set of Civil War Memoirs Including: Memoirs of Gen. W. T. Sherman, Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, Personal Memoirs of P. H. Sheridan, McClellan’s Own Story, and Tenting on the Plains: or Gen. Custer in Kansas and Texas.

GRANT, Ulysses S; James G. Blaine; P.H. Sheridan; George B. McClellan; Elizabeth B. Custer.

$12,000.00

Item Number: 147086

New York: Charles L. Webster & Company, 1885-1891.

Rare Shoulder Strap set of five Civil War histories printed by Twain’s publishing house in its short-lived but impressive decade of operation. Octavo, eight volumes bound in full tan sheep skin with gilt titles and ruling to the spine in five compartments within raised bands, red and black spine labels, all edges marbled, marbled endpapers, tissue-guarded frontispiece portraits to each volume, illustrated with steel engravings, maps, and woodcuts. The set features: a first edition of Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant (Two volumes, 1885-1886); a first edition of McClellan’s Own Story: The War for the Union, the Soldiers Who Fought It, and His Relations to It and to Them (1887); a first edition of Tenting on the Plains: or Gen. Custer in Kansas and Texas (1887); a first edition of Personal Memoirs of P. H. Sheridan (Two volumes, 1888); and a fourth edition of Memoirs of Gen. W. T. Sherman (Two volumes, 1891). In very good to good condition with rubbing to the extremities and light toning to the title pages of each volume, evidence of interior hinge repair and library stamps to the first and last leaves of the Sherman and Custer memoirs, a gift inscription to the first volume of Sheridan’s memoirs, darkening to the top edge of both volumes of the Sheridan memoir, library checkout card and pocket to the rear pastedown of the Custer volume. An exceptionally rare set, especially in this condition.

Featuring the finest of contemporary Civil War histories, the Great War Library "Shoulder Strap" series pays tribute to Mark Twain's brief but impressive venture into publishing. In 1884, Twain joined with Charles Webster, who was married to Twain's niece, in an effort, at first, to publish "his own books, and he began successfully with Huckleberry Finn in 1885. Almost fortuitously he got the contract to publish U.S. Grant's Memoirs [1885-86]—a huge success . . . Other Civil War generals preparing their memoirs naturally hoped to appear with their great commander" (Paine, 831).