The Charge of Ignorance Misrepresentation Proved Against Rev. Cheever
Pamphlet Concerning a Notable Nineteenth-Century Libel Case in Salem, Massachusetts [Upham, Charles W. (1802-1875)]. The Charge of Ignorance and Misrepresentation Proved Against the Rev. George B. Cheever. From the Salem Gazette. Salem: S.n., 1833. [16] pp. Text in parallel columns. Octavo (9-1/2" x 6"). Stab-stitched pamphlet in self-wrappers, untrimmed edges. Light soiling to exterior, minor wear to spine ends, owner signature (Charles Lowell) to head of front wrapper, light toning to text, faint spotting to a few leaves. $500. * Only edition. Cheever, a Unitarian minister, social reformer and Temperance advocate, published a thinly disguised portrayal of John Stone, a well-liked Unitarian deacon in Salem who owned a distillery. It was first published in 1835 as a newspaper article in Salem and as an illustrated broadside. Cheever's neighbors, one of them Upham, were outraged by this slanderous text and he was soon convicted for libel, imprisoned and publicly whipped. A case that attracted a good deal of attention, it brought Cheever national fame, which led to several job offers and several more editions of his tract. After an extended tour of Europe and the Near East, he became the minister of the Allen Street Presbyterian Church in New York City. OCLC locates 11 copies, none in law libraries. Not in McCoy. Sabin, A Dictionary of Books Relating to America 98032.
Price: $500.00
Book number 70764