THE TROUBADOUR: AND OTHER STORIES

New-York: Leavitt & Allen, 1856. Very good.. Later issue of this illustrated chapbook collection of short stories, including a story of Andrew Jackson during his military years, published as the Civil War loomed. Among the material in THE TROUBADOUR focused on everyday activities (a girl learns the importance of practicing the piano, a boy flies a kite) are a passages about Holland and Mexico City, as well as a description of the work of the US Mint and, interestingly, a story about one of Andrew Jackson's military campaigns. As Civil War grew closer on the horizon in the 1850s, some looked to Jackson as a figure to emulate: "[h]e was famous for preserving the Union in the 1830s," notes NPR's Steve Inskeep, and he "insisted that federal law reigned supreme." Though Jackson, a slaveholder who "never favored abolition" seemed an unlikely hero for the Union cause, Abraham Lincoln kept the former president's portrait on his wall through the Civil War (Parks).
This issue of THE TROUBADOUR is uncommon institutionally. This copy, with an ownership mark dated to the early days of the Civil War, is a particularly interesting snapshot of the role of children's literature in establishing socio-political norms. 5.75'' x 4.5''. Original green pictorial stiff wrappers. Light yellow endpapers. 16 full-page woodcut illustrations. 64 pages. Early owner inscription to front flyleaf, dated 1862. Carefully rebacked. Rubbing to corners of wrappers. Frequent spotting and soiling to text. Solid.