EXTERIOR CONDITION
Spectacular binding beautifully bound in original dark chocolate brown colored cloth. The binding has ornate gold gilt on the spine of the book showing American flags, a bald eagle, arrows, a hatchet and a sword; all symbols of Colonel Fremont's life and work. The binding also has BIGELOW'S LIFE OF COLONEL FREMONT INCLUDING HIS EXPLORATIONS AND DISCOVERIES--ONLY COMPLETE EDITION--DERBY & JACKSON stamped in gold gilt on the spine of the book. The spine shows no signs of sun fading. All of the gold gilt remains very very strong and bright. There is a very very very tiny bit of chipping to the upper (1/16") of the spine, almost unnoticeable.
The front and rear covers have beautiful ornate blind stamped designs from top to bottom. The exterior front and rear book hinges are in perfect condition with no signs of ware, chipping or cracking. The four corners of the book remain sharp with little to no bumping. There is a tiny wrinkle in the board fabric in the upper right hand corner of the front cover--less noticeable in person than in the photo light. There is slight dust dulling to the top of the page edges. Other than these extremely minor issues, the exterior binding appears almost like new with little to no rubbing, bumping or scuffing. Overall, the books exterior looks as it did when it appeared in the book store window in New York in 1856 (just before Abraham Lincoln became the first Republican president in 1861). A picture is worth a thousand words--see attached photos for more detail.
INTERIOR CONDITION
The front and rear paste down pages along with the front and rear first fly leaf pages are holding firm with no signs of damage or looseness. The front and rear inside (paper) hinges are holding tight and firm and both in perfect working condition. The pages throughout the book are crisp, clean and very evenly (and only very lightly) age toned. Only the first 2 or 3 pages of the book (made of a heavier paper stock) show signs of light foxing. The text block is tight and strong and the page corners are straight and square. It almost appears as though this book was never read from cover to cover. The book includes a fine steal engraving of John Charles Fremont taken from a photograph. The book also includes at least seven other beautiful illustrations. There is a 3"x3" book plate attached to the inside front cover of the book. There is a hand written (beautiful calligraphy) "No. 359" written at the top of the first fly leaf page. There are no other signatures, pencil, ink or markings throughout the book. The outer page edges show normal dust dulling along the top edge. A picture is worth a thousand words--see attached photos for more detail.
WIKIPEDIA
John Charles Frémont or Fremont (January 21, 1813 – July 13, 1890) was an American explorer, military officer, and politician. He was a United States senator from California and was the first Republican nominee for president of the U.S. in 1856 and founder of the California Republican Party when he was nominated. He lost the election to Democrat James Buchanan when the vote was split by Know Nothings.
Frémont opposed slavery. In the 1840s, he led five expeditions into the western states. During the Mexican-American War, he was a major in the U.S. Army. Frémont was court-martialed and convicted of mutiny and insubordination after a conflict over who was the rightful military governor of California. His sentence was commuted and he was reinstated by President James K. Polk, but Frémont resigned from the Army. Afterwards, he settled in California. Gold was found on his ranch and Frémont became a wealthy man during the California Gold Rush. He became one of the first two U.S. senators elected from the new state of California in 1850.
At the beginning of the American Civil War 1861, he was given command of the Department of the West by President Abraham Lincoln. Frémont had successes during his brief tenure there, though he ran his department autocratically and made hasty decisions without consulting President Lincoln or Army headquarters. He issued an unauthorized emancipation edict and was relieved of his command for insubordination by Lincoln. After a brief service tenure in the Mountain Department in 1862, Frémont resided in New York, retiring from the army in 1864. He was nominated for president in 1864 by the Radical Democracy Party, a breakaway faction of abolitionist Republicans, but he withdrew before the election. After the Civil War, he lost much of his wealth in the unsuccessful Pacific Railroad in 1866, and he lost more in the Panic of 1873. Frémont served as Governor of the Arizona Territory from 1878 to 1881. After his resignation as governor, he retired from politics and died destitute in New York City in 1890.
Historians portray Frémont as controversial, impetuous, and contradictory. Some scholars regard him as a military hero of significant accomplishment, while others view him as a failure who repeatedly defeated his own best interests. The keys to Frémont's character and personality, several historians argue, lie in his having been born "illegitimate" and in his drive for success, need for self-justification, and passive-aggressive behavior. His biographer Allan Nevins wrote that Frémont lived a dramatic life of remarkable successes and dismal failures.
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