Letters to a Gentleman in Germany - Written after a Trip from Philadelphia to Niagara Journal - 1834

Philadelphia: Carey, Lea and Blanchard. Good+. 1834. First Edition; First Printing. Journal. [4], [9]-356 & [8, ads] pages; Publisher's plum cloth-backed boards, printed paper label, fore and bottom edges untrimmed. A worn, but complete copy, in its original binding which shows significant rubbing to the bottom edges, wear and some finger soiling to the spine, a two-inch split along the rear outer hinge, and some moderate foxing throughout. Francis Lieber wrote this book, despite his claim on the title page to have been its editor. He was born in Germany (in either 1798 or 1800) as Franz Lieber, and had a busy life in Europe before coming to America, including having been wounded at the Battle of Waterloo (as an underage soldier). He also fought in the Greek Revolution, wrote a book or two, and was imprisoned (twice) as an opponent to the Prussian monarchy. Lieber moved to Boston in 1827 where he conducted a Swimming Academy. Lieber edited an Encyclopaedia Americana -- after conceiving of the idea of translating the Brockhaus encyclopedia into English. The work was published in 13 volumes between 1829-1833. Lieber moved to Philadelphia, where he wrote this book and another, on education. He then moved on in 1835, becomming professor of history and political economics at South Carolina College (now the University of South Carolina). In 1856, he went back north to an appointment as professor of history and political science at Columbia University (then Columbia College). His title was chosen by himself, and made him the first officially designated political scientist in the United States. After 1860, he also took on the same position at Columbia Law School. When the Civil War broke out, Lieber sided with the Union north, despite his long residence in South Carolina. [One of his sons, the geologist Oscar Montgomery Lieber, joined the Confederate army and died at the Battle of Eltham's Landing]. Francis Lieber became one of the founders and served as the head of the Loyal Publication Society of New York, compiling news articles for distribution among Union troops and Northern newspapers. He wrote ten of the 100 pamphlets published under the society's auspices. His standing as a Law School professor led to his assisting the Union War Department and President Abraham Lincoln in drafting legal guidelines for the Union army. The most important of these was General Orders Number 100, or the "Lieber Code" as it is commonly known. The Lieber Code would be adopted by other military organizations and go on to form the basis of subsequent laws of war. After the conflict, Lieber was assigned the task of accumulating and preserving the records of the former government of the Confederate States of America. While doing so, Lieber was one of the last known people to possess the infamous "Dahlgren Affair" papers -- [which may or may not have been evidence of a Northern plot to assassinate Jefferson Davis]. Shortly after obtaining them, Lieber was ordered to give them to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, who appears to have destroyed them, as they have not been seen since. This 1834 book is fairly scarce -- see Howes L331; American Imprints inventory # 25336. .