The Union Memorial [includes "Under the Washington Elm" and "Faith in the Union"]; Containing Choice Anecdotes, Patriotic Songs, and "Burning Words," Struck from True American Hearts by [Holmes, Oliver Wendell. 1809-1894] [Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. 1807-1882] - 1861

Boston: Published by Abel Tompkins, 38 & 40 Cornhill (Printed by Bazin & Chandler, 37 Cornhill), 1861. Hardcover. Very good. Duodecimo size, 72 pp. A Civil War-era pamphlet which is scarce in the trade, with none online as of this writing and a single auction record which dates back to 1909, for this exact copy - the auction was for the library of "First Editions of American Authors" from the collection of Frank Maier, this copy with the Ex-Libris of Frank Maier on the front pastedown. OCLC locates eighteen copies. The pamphlet (now bound between cloth boards) is a compendium of poems, short stories, and witticisms extolling the Union and denigrating the Sucessionist South. One of the poems included is the first printing of "Under the Washington Elm" which was penned by Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) earlier that year ("Eighty years have passed, and more, / Since under the brave old tree / Our fathers gathered in arms and swore / They would follow the sign their banners bore, / And fight till the land was free.") Also included is an early printing of "Faith in the Union" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), which had previously been published in "The Alleghanian" on January 26, 1860. Both Holmes and Longfellow were part of the Boston literary group known as the "Fireside Poets", which also included Ralph Waldo Emerson and James Russell Lowell, who collectively had a deep influence on the literature of their day both in the US and abroad. ___DESCRIPTION: Bound in red cloth boards, old leather spine label wiht gilt lettering, Ex-Libris of Frank Maier on the front pastedown as mentioned above, armourial Ex-Libris of Walter Thomas Wallace on the front free endpaper, who likely was the owner subsequent to Frank Maier, as there are traces of an auction catalogue of his library in 1920 ("Illustrated Catalogue of the Literary Treasures of Walter Thomas Wallace, March 22nd, 24th, and 25th, 1920"); following the flyleaf is the pamphlet itself, the front wrap with a vignette of a helmeted woman, holding a sword and the American Flag (likely Liberty), dates of 1861 on both the front wrap and the copyright page; duodecimo size (7.5" by 4 7/8"), pagination: [1-5] 6-72. ___CONDITION: Binding, structure, endpapers and flyleaves are near fine, clearly newer than the pamphlet, some prior bookseller markings in pencil on both the front free endpaper and the front flyleaf, else fine; the older leather spine label chipped along the sides with some loss of the lettering; the pamphlet itself is a bit better than good; complete, most of the pages clean and free of wear, with some old dampstaining to the first three leaves and the final four leaves, the bottom corner torn from the leaf for pp. 31-32 (contained within the margin), only minor toning and a few stray soil marks to the rest of the leaves. Eminently readable, the binding study and square, well-protecting the fragile pamphlet within. ___CITATION: "Under the Washington Elm" by Holmes, BAL no. 8807; "Faith in the Union", BAL Section IV for Longfellow, p. 601. ___POSTAGE: International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.