Personal Reminiscences of Early Days in California, Second Edition.
Stephen Field's Personal Reminiscences Field, Stephen J. [1816-1899]. Personal Reminiscences of Early Days in California, With Other Sketches. To Which is Added the Story of His Attempted Assassination by a Former Associate on the Supreme Bench of the State. By Hon. George C. Gorman. [Washington, D.C.]: Printed for a Few Friends. Not Published, [1893]. [vi], 472 pp. Octavo (8-3/4" x 6"). Publisher's cloth, blind fillets to boards, gilt fillets and title to spine, patterned endpapers. Light rubbing to boards and extremities, spine ends and corners lightly bumped, hinges mended with tissue, two ink owner signatures (of A.B. Ross and Robert M. Teets, Jr.) to front free endpaper, which is reattached with cellotape and lightly edgeworn, embossed private library stamp of Teets to lower corner of front endleaves and title page, pencil annotation dated September 20, 1893 noting that the volume was presented to Ross by Stephen J. Field to front endleaf. Moderate toning, tiny spots to a few leaves, internally clean. $250. * Second edition, substantially expanded to include Gorham's account of the attempted assassination of Field, large-type issue. An important figure in California history, Field was alcalde of the Gold Rush town of Marysville from 1849 to 1850, a member of the State Assembly from 1852-1852, an associate justice of the California Supreme Court from 1857 to 1859 and the chief justice of that court from 1859 to 1863. He become an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court in 1863 and remained on the bench until 1897. Dictated in his later years "for a few friends," his Reminiscences provide vivid sketches of California during the boisterous early years of settlement. The second section, by his associate George C. Gorman, recounts an attempt on his life in 1889 by David S. Terry, a former California chief justice. As noted by the Dictionary of American Biography, this "book evinces devotion to the fact and energy of purpose, as well as some appreciation of humorous situations." The first edition, which does not include Gorham's account, was published in 1880. Along with our issue of the second edition, there is another with smaller type and format with the pagination [vi], 406 pp. Dictionary of American Biography III:373. Howes, U.S.Iana F117.
Price: $250.00
Book number 77898