The Life and Times of Col. James Fisk, Jr. Being a Full and Impartial Account of the Remarkable Career of a Most Remarkable Man... Together with Sketches of All the Important Personages... Drew, Vanderbilt, Gould, Tweed... Embracing, also, the lives of Helen Josephine Mansfield, the Enchantress, and Edward S. Stokes, the Assassin

New York: The New York Book Company, (1872). 504pp. Octavo. Publisher's gilt and blind decorated cloth; al edges gilt. Early 19th century gift inscription to endpaper. Head and foot of spine lightly frayed and gilt dulled; cornertips slightly worn; a very good copy.

First edition, variant issue. One of a number of works that were published in 1872 to capitalize upon the sensational murder of James Fisk who had become involved in a triangle love feud with one of his business partners, Edward "Ned" and Josephine "Josie" Mansfield. Mansfield was the mistress of both men, and became embroiled in their bitter legal struggles with one another and personal feuds. "Fisk had charged Stokes with embezzling oil company funds; Stokes replied with a charge of false imprisonment. Then Mansfield threatened to publish letters from Fisk revealing some of his transactions. On January 5 an injunction was issued restraining the publication of the letters; on the next day Josie Mansfield was exposed to a humiliating cross-examination in police court on her relations with Fisk. Stokes, in a rage, followed Fisk to the Broadway Central Hotel where he shot him on the stairs. After two trials the state could only convict Stokes of third-degree manslaughter." (McDade)

Varying copies of this book are found issued with plates, but with or without a "List of Illustrations" printed on page 8. This particular variant does not have the list of illustrations and it was never bound up with any plates by the publisher. The publisher may have already exhausted their supply of plates by the time this variant was issued. All issues are scarce to commerce and especially so in this condition.

Not in Sabin.