VISITS TO WALT WHITMAN IN 1890-1891, BY TWO LANCASHIRE FRIENDS. (SIGNED) - 1918

New York,, 1918. First Edition. Hardback. No Dust Jacket.. Somewhat poor copy: covers warped and a little wrinkled due to water damage, split along rear hinge, with frontispiece loose - otherwise sound with complete text.. 8vo. pp 279, [1]. Original publisher's green cloth, lettered gilt on spine and on front cover. With twenty illustrations including frontispiece of Walt Whitman. Signed presentation from J. Johnston to his brother, on the front endpaper, ""This volume - 'Visits to Walt Whitman' is one of the 50 copies of the books which were salved from a ship which was torpedoed en route to America during the Great War, 1917. To W. J. Johnston, with affectionate greetings and all good wishes, from his brother, John, Mount Arman, Bispham, Blackpool Nov. 23rd 1919"". Germany had 105 submarines ready for action in February 1917 and sank over three million tons of shipping in the six months to follow. In response to the new submarine campaign, President Wilson severed all diplomatic relations with Germany, and the US Congress declared war on 6th April 1917. This book was rescued from a sunken vessel during 1917 and although the boards show water damage the content is surprisingly clean and unmarked. Doctor John Johnston, was a prominent member of the Fellowship. A medical practitioner in Bolton who came originally from Annan in Dumfriesshire. Johnston and Wallace started corresponding with Whitman in 1887. Whitman wrote them more than 120 letters, which are today housed in the Metropolitan Library in Bolton. �