1835 Life of Aaron Burr Knapp Hamilton Duel Biography Original Boards For Sale

1835 Life of Aaron Burr Samuel L. Knapp 1st Ed Original Boards

Samuel L. Knapp. The Life of Aaron Burr. New York: Wiley & Long, 1835. First edition. Original publisher’s paper-covered boards.

Early biography of Aaron Burr, published during Burr’s lifetime—only one year before his death in 1836. Burr was Revolutionary War officer, United States senator, third Vice President of the United States, political rival of Alexander Hamilton, and Hamilton’s opponent in the fatal 1804 duel at Weehawken.

Knapp’s book offers a near-contemporary account of one of the most controversial figures of the American founding era, before later memoirs and biographies came to dominate Burr’s nineteenth-century reputation. The work is recorded in contemporary Burr bibliographies and was issued by Wiley & Long at 161 Broadway, New York.

This copy retains its original 1830s publisher’s boards, an appealing survival for an American book of this period. The interior is notably clean and bright, with considerably less foxing than is often found in early American books. A vintage Books, Inc. bookseller ticket from San Francisco is mounted inside.

Bibliographical Details

• New York: Wiley & Long, 1835
• First edition
• x, [11]–290 pages
• Original publisher’s paper-covered boards
• Text in English

Condition

Original publisher’s boards, unrestored. The binding remains sound, with expected rubbing and wear to the boards, spine, corners, and edges. The text is clean and bright overall, with modest age toning and scattered minor spotting. Vintage Books, Inc. bookseller ticket present. No library markings or modern ink. Please examine all photographs carefully for the condition of the binding and interior.

An appealing original-state copy of an early Aaron Burr biography, suitable for collectors of American history, Founding-era politics, Hamilton-Burr material, and nineteenth-century American imprints.