THE WRITINGS OF GEORGE WASHINGTON; BEING HIS CORRESPONDENCE, ADDRESSES, MESSAGES, AND OTHER PAPERS, OFFICIAL AND PRIVATE, SELECTED AND PUBLISHED FROM THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS; WITH A LIFE OF THE AUTHOR, NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS

Boston: Ferdinand Andrews, and Charleston, S.C.: Alston Mygatt, 1839-1840.. Twelve volumes. Numerous single-page maps. Frontispiece in first and twelfth volumes. Contemporary calf, spines gilt. First volume rebacked with repairs to edges of boards. Boards a bit rubbed and stained, some shelf wear, some spine labels chipping, contemporary and later inscriptions on front free endpapers of several volumes, later bookplate on front pastedowns. Scattered foxing throughout, occasional staining or small marginal defects, not touching text. A very good set overall. A complete set of this early collection of Washington's writings, first published in 1833-1837, and arguably the most important work of prolific writer and historian Jared Sparks. In the early 1820s, Sparks was asked to recommend an editor for the collected works of George Washington. As an academic and admirer of Washington himself, Sparks chose to do the work on his own and, after some negotiating, acquired permission to use Washington's papers from the first President's nephew and inheritor, Bushrod Washington. He brought most of the documents back with him from Mount Vernon to Boston, and visited repositories across the United States and Europe to augment his scholarship. "[Sparks] has an assured place as an explorer and producer of American history. His energetic search for original documents, skill in selecting and annotating them, and success in getting them published, gave the American public a new conception of their history, and provided a host of writers with material" - DAB.

A nice, full set of this significant work, frequently found incomplete or in mixed editions. SABIN 101767. DAB XVII, pp.430-34.