THE LIFE AND PUBLIC CAREER OF GEN. JAMES A. GARFIELD, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

Philadelphia: Hubbard Bros., 1880. First Edition. . Hardcover. Very Good/No Jacket. This biography of President Garfield represents a publishing puzzle: According to Brisbin's biographer, Benjamin Foster, Brisbin published his Garfield biography with the title, "From the Towpath to the White House, a Biography of James Garfield," in 1880 in Philadelphia, and also in 1880 in Hartford as "The Early Life and Public Career of James A. Garfield." In 1881, following Garfield's assassination, Hubbard Bros., the Philadelphia publisher, re-issued the book with additional material under the name William Ralson Balch, an editor and journalist, who had covered Garfield's political career and assassination. However, the new edition did not mention Brisbin as author, Balch being credited as sole author, a stance he maintained throughout his life though, according to Foster, his claim was denied by the Library of Congress. Subsequently, our copy of the book was issued, titled on the spine, "Life and Public Services of General Jas. A. Garfield," and "Balch" alone as author. The book's title page has the title as "The Life and Public Career of Gen. James A. Garfield," with Brisbin as author of Garfield's rise from obscurity to Union Army general and then to the presidency, and then, "together" with a full account of his election to the presidency through to his assassination, written by William Ralson Balch. The copyright is still 1880 though Garfield's death was in July,1881, and a brief "To The Reader" note by Balch stating the events surrounding Garfield's death "has been gleaned from the newspapers necessarily with some haste." So the question of authorship of this edition of the book, which can be characterized as a First Edition Thus, remains an open question. 681 pages, 5 1/2 x 7 3/4 inches, green cloth-covered boards with a black stamped border and Garfield's signature in gilt on the front cover and gilt lettering and black decoration on the spine. 28 black & white illustrations including the frontispiece. Boards and spine show very moderate surface and edge wear. Binding is tight, hinges intact. Text edges somewhat soiled and end pages and first few pages front and back of text show light foxing, o/w text is clean, complete and unmarked. Protective frontispiece tissue remains in place. A very scarce biography with a history of its own.