Description

Philadelphia: National Publishing Company, 1866. First Edition. Hardcover. Good. Octavo. 833 pages, errata slip, [1]. Frontispiece engraved portrait of young Stephens moderately foxed. Tissue protected engravings also foxed. Moderate toning to the title page. Facsimile letters in text. 1/2 brown leather binding, with brownish marbled paper covered boards. Gilt decorations and leather title labels on the spine. Marbled end sheets. Tideline damage to rear end papers only. Marbled text edges. Light edge and shelf wear to the binding. Alexander H. Stephens was an American politician who served as the first and only vice president Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. Also serving as the 50th Governor of Georgia. Contained within this book is the famous "cornerstone speech." An improvised address delivered just weeks before the civil war began which defended slavery as fundamental and just on account of the supposed inferiority of the black race. Other points of contrasts were touched on between Union and Confederate ideologies, as well as the Confederates reason for seceding. An interesting, if not dark piece of American history particularly around the time of the Civil War. Ships via media mail. Inquire with questions. Please see photos. Notice: As of 7/7/25 we will be reducing the descriptive information for common and less valuable items. While we always aim to provide accurate and concise information about the book you are buying, the rate we are able to list vs the backlog of stock we have to offer has grown too great. It no longer makes sense for us to spend the same amount of time on a $10 as it does a $100 or even $1,000 book. As such, descriptions will be shortened to the bare bones on common items. This will be formatted as: Publisher, City of Publication, date of copyright. Number of pages, size. Condition: Book Condition/Dust jacket condition if applicable. Any major pertinent flaws I. E. a tear to the dust jacket, soiling, etc. Example: Garden City, New York, 1938. [IX], 8vo. Condition: G/G. Boards bowed, tear to the front joint of the jacket. We will always mention whether a book has writing within it beyond common marks such as a former price, stock number, owner name or initials, etc., OR major condition issues. Condition will be between Fine-Poor in line with The Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America(ABAA). Below you will find a helpful guide for determining the condition of a given book. Fine , ( abbreviated F ) Fine is very close to As New in condition, except that the book may have been been previously opened or carefully read. Very Good ( abbreviated VG ) This is a book that shows signs of prevoius ownership and use, but it?s still very nice copy. If there are any flaws or defects such as the former owner?s name ( FON ) or the former owner?s initials ( FOI ) , they need to be specifically noted. Good ( abbreviated G ) Possibly the most confusing book condition for the layman. A good condtion book will show significant wear including the potential for tears in the dust jacket, wear on the edges of the wraps or boards as well as the textblock. Specific issues should still be noted. A good condition book should still have all pages and a fully intact cover. Fair is a book with noticable wear. Some non-essential pages such as the Front Free End Paper(FFEP) or Rear Free End Paper (RFEP) may possilby be missing but the entire text and all plates should be still present. A Fair condition book isn?t typically considered collectible condition (except in cases where scarcity is such a factor that a better copy isn?t commonly avaialble). Fair condition books are still servicable reading copies. Poor A book with significant wear and faults. A poor condition book is still a reading copy with the full text still readable. Any missing pages must be specifically noted. Ex Library : In traditional book description guidelines, this is a book condition unto itself. The statement that the book was removed from library circulation historically indicated that the book had no collectible value due to certain standard practices of libraries such as ink stamps asserting ownership and uniquely durable tape binding the dust jacket to the rest of the book. That old standard has relaxed some over the years. An additional condition report may be requested by the buyer BEFORE purchase.