Pétrole

1868 · 005559 — Boston: Lee and Shepard 1868. Hardcover original fine grained green cloth blindstamped with double rule on covers and lettered and decorated in gold on spine. 324p. illustrated by Thomas Nast with 8 full page cartoon drawings. Tissue guard between title page and frontis still extant. No previous ownership marks no book-plate no stamps or writing. Blank pages at front and rear show age toning and foxing text block is clean as are all plates. A very nice copy of post-war American political satire in this case lampooning post-Civil War Reconstruction efforts in Kentucky. Green cloth covers are clean and gold on spine still bright. Hinges are sound and text block is tightly bound with no loose or torn pages. Book is square crisp and corners are sharp. "David Ross Locke also known by his pseudonym Petroleum V. Nasby September 20 1833 to February 15 1888 was an American journalist and early political commentator during the American Civil War. Locke's most famous work the "Nasby Letters" was written in the character of and over the signature of "Rev. Petroleum Vesuvius Nasby" a Copperhead and Democrat. They have been described as "The Civil War written in sulphuric acid." Like the "Nasby Letters" written before the war "Ekkoes From Kentucky" was written in the semi-literate spelling used by other humorists of the time most noteably Mark Twain. A very good copy. First Edition. Cloth. Very Good. Illus. by Thomas Nast. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Lee and Shepard Hardcover