The Life of George Washington, Inscribed by John Marshall, Second Edition, in Two Volumes, 1832, with Accompanying Atlas to Marshall’s Life of Washington, 1832

Marshall, John. The Life of George Washington, Commander in Chief of the American Forces, During the War which Established the Independence of his Country, and First President of the United States, Compiled under the Inspection of the Honourable Bushrod Washington, From Original Papers Bequeathed to him by his Deceased Relative. Philadelphia: Carey & Lea, 1832. Second edition.  Revised and Corrected by the Author. Signed and inscribed by “the author” in Volume I. Two-volume set. Octavos. Period front boards, rebacked in new calf leather, with gold tooling and titles to the spine. Original printed errata for Vol I and manuscript errata for Vol II tipped-in to the back of each volume. [and] Atlas to Marshall’s Life of Washington. Philadelphia: J. Crissy, [1832]. Engraved by J. Yeager. Slim octavo. Engraved title page and 10 hand-colored engraved maps. Bound in period ¾ red leather and blue paper boards, with printed paper label to front, gilt ruling to the spine. [and] Story, Joseph. Autograph Letter Signed to Susan French Livingston Ledyard, June 1, 1833, Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2 pp. Presented in a new archival brown cloth chemise with slipcase. 

Presented is a handsome, inscribed, two-volume set of Chief Justice John Marshall’s seminal biography of George Washington. First published from 1804-1807 in Philadelphia by C.P. Wayne, the first US edition and the first English edition of the same year were originally issued in five volumes, with an additional atlas of Revolutionary War maps. Presented here is the stated second edition, "revised and corrected by the author." This 1832 two-volume set was published in Philadelphia by Carey and Lee, and is accompanied by the companion Atlas to Marshall’s Life of Washington, published in Philadelphia by J. Crissy that same year. The scarce original printed errata for Vol I and manuscript errata for Vol II of The Life of George Washington are tipped into the back of each volume. This is a uniquely collectible set in that Volume I is inscribed, “For Mrs. Ledyard with the profound respect of The Author,” by John Marshall. Accompanied by an original two page letter, written from Associate Justice Joseph Story to Mrs. Susan Ledyard, alerting Ledyard that he will be sending these very same books to her on John Marshall’s behalf. 

Shortly after John Marshall became Chief Justice (1801-1835), Washington's nephew Bushrod approached him to write the first President's official biography. No man was better suited to the task. As a personal friend of Washington, Marshall had announced the President's death in 1799, offered the eulogy, chaired the committee that arranged the funeral rites, and led the commission to plan a monument in the capital city. Marshall’s time spent in the Continental Army also allowed him the opportunity to serve directly alongside Washington. 

Marshall’s close friendship with Washington ensured that the biography would be detailed and respectful of all that the first president had accomplished. When Marshall agreed to write a full biography, Washington’s family provided him with countless records and papers to help document the late president’s life. In addition to these sources, Marshall brought a sense of intimacy to the work, as he incorporated a personal perspective in his writing. 

When Marshall's Life of George Washington was first published, it quickly gained such authoritative status that Washington scholar Jared Sparks suggested any new biographical undertaking would be "presumptuous" (Sparks, Washington I: 12). The work "is political history as well as biography… the only comprehensive account by a great statesman of the full founding of the United States— of the founding of an independent people as well as of its government… There is no other concentrated history of the essentials by such an authority on American institutions" (Robert K. Faulkner). "If George Washington founded the country, John Marshall defined it" (Jean Edward Smith). 

The ten strategic maps in the accompanying Atlas to Marshall’s Life of Washington relate to military operations in the Revolutionary War, and include the Boston area, New York Island, northern New Jersey, New Hampshire, Yorktown, and more. The maps, all double-page, are superbly engraved by J. Yeager. They are hand colored with a light wash, with the American and British positions colored in blue and red. 

The two page autographed letter signed by Associate Justice Joseph Story was written on June 1, 1833, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The letter is addressed to Susan French Livingston Ledyard, the daughter of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Henry Brockholst Livingston, granddaughter of Constitution signer William Livingston, and wife of a prominent New York attorney Benjamin Ledyard. In the letter, Story alerts Ledyard that he will be sending her John Marshall's second edition of Life of Washington. He writes, “But the more substantial part of my letter is to inform you; that he has sent on to me for you a copy of his last Edition of his Life of Washington, & in the fly leaf there is an voucher of the fact. I am sure you will treasure up such a work from such a hand with uncommon care & delight.  I shall send it to you by the first opportunity, I can find.” The letter references the inscription by Marshall in the volumes; that inscription reads “For Mrs. Ledyard with the profound respect of The Author.”  

In his letter, Story continues on to say he is also sending his own abridgement of Commentaries on the Constitution for Ledyard’s son, Henry. Book gifting seems to be a common practice among the two Justices and recipient; Story begins the letter acknowledging that he delivered a bound Alison’s Sermons to Chief Justice Marshall on Leydard’s behalf. He writes, “I sent your present of Alison’s Sermons to the Chief Justice after I had had it neatly bound. I have lately received a letter from him, in which he desires me to thank you in “my best manner” (as he is pleased to phrase it) for this very acceptable mark of your kindness.” This letter is a truly remarkable piece of provenance for an already collectible set of inscribed books and complete atlas. Together, this set represents a highly important artifact of early American history and law. 

John James Marshall (1755-1835) was the fourth Chief Justice of the United States.  His court opinions helped lay the basis for United States constitutional law and made the Supreme Court of the United States a coequal branch of government along with the legislative and executive branches. Previously, Marshall had been a leader of the Federalist Party in Virginia and served in the United States House of Representatives from 1799 to 1800. He was also Secretary of State under President John Adams from 1800 to 1801.

Joseph Story (1779-1845) graduated from Harvard College in 1798, and gained admission to the bar in 1801. He served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the U.S. House of Representatives. In November of 1811, President James Madison made him the youngest person ever nominated to the Supreme Court. In his 32 years as an Associate Justice, he played a pivotal role in supporting Chief Justice John Marshall and the Court’s asserting of Constitutional authority over state courts and legislatures. Story was also one of the most successful American authors of the first half of the nineteenth-century, with his legal treatises and commentaries earning him more than his salary on the Supreme Court. His Commentaries on the Constitution, published in 1833, is still taught today. 

Susan French Livingston Ledyard (1789-1864) was a granddaughter of New Jersey Governor and Constitution signer William Livingston (1723-1790) and the daughter of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Henry Brockholst Livingston (1757-1823). She married prominent New York attorney Benjamin Ledyard (1779-1812). Their son, Henry Brokholst Ledyard (1812-1880), whom Story references in this letter, graduated from Columbia College in 1830 and began practicing law in New York. 

CONDITION:

Life of Washington. Near fine condition. Stated second edition, Revised and Corrected by the Author. Two-volume set. Octavos. Period front boards, with light bumping, scattered staining, darkening, and light scratches. Rebacked in new calf leather, new leather to spine with raised bands, gold tooling and titles. Period blue marbled endpaper saved and intact, stained along edges. Volume I inscribed and signed on front flyleaf, “For Mrs. Ledyard with the profound respect of The Author.” The inscription is legible, with slight toning of ink from black to dark brown. Paper with foxing, scattered staining, toning, more prevalent in front of volumes. Frontispiece of Washington. Printed errata for Vol I and manuscript errata for Vol II now tipped-in to the back of each volume. New archival cloth slipcase with inlay of Washington on the front. 

Atlas to Marshall’s Life of Washington. Near fine condition. Slim octavo. Bound in period ¾ red leather and blue paper boards, with printed paper label to front, gilt ruling to the spine. Paper label intact. Boards with stains and discoloration, spine bumped. Engraved title page and 10 hand-colored engraved maps. Pages with scattered stains, toning, and foxing. Several maps with offsetting. Watercolor wash and borders intact, although lightly faded. 

Story, Joseph. Autograph Letter Signed to Susan French Livingston Ledyard, June 1, 1833, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Near fine condition. 2 pp. Toning, prominent vertical stain along fold lines, faint toning along horizontal fold lines. Ink strong, signature bold. Presented in a new archival brown cloth chemise with matching slipcase, with ribbon pull and inlay of Washington on the front.

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