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Antiques! => Antique Questions Forum => Topic started by: Kimmienemo on September 21, 2012, 09:09:00 AM
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A long time ago, I purchased a 3-volume set of books entitled, "Herndon's Lincoln" in a small northern California community. I purchased them at an antique book store as a gift for my husband. Rumor has it, that one of his distant relatives was Abraham Lincoln's law partner, the author of the book.
A while back, I thought I would do a little digging about the books. I also wanted to know about the person whose name, Leo F. Stinson, was inside each of the books. I found that Leo F. Stinson was the editor and proprietor of a newspaper 18 miles south of where I purchased the book. The newspaper that he published was apparently held in high regard, in the newspaper world. Although I cannot document his possession of the books, I believe it is highly likely that he was the owner. There was also some evidence that he might have gone to college with the Herndon who published the book.
Anyway, would anyone have any idea about the value of these books? I don't know how to tell if they are first editions or not, and believe (to my untrained eye) that they are in fairly good shape. Any and all comments/suggestions are always well received!
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Are they first edition books?
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I don't know how to tell? (I have soooo much learning yet to do?)
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General Guidelines for Identifying a First Edition
I found this on the web.
There are many ways that publishers identify their books as a first edition. Some common ones are:
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“First Edition,” “First Printing,” “First Published,” “Published,” or “First Impression” appears on the copyright page.
A number line such as 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, or something similar. (See below.)
The date on the title page is the same as the date on the copyright page.
There is no designation for a first printing, but later printings are noted on the copyright page.
(For an explanation of the difference between a edition and printing,
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The book has no indication that there were multiple publishings. The date on the front page is 1891, but the copyright is 1889.
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Herdon was a good friend of Lincoln. Herdon was a lawyer. He died in 1891. I'm still checking value.
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http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/herndons-lincoln-william-h-herndon/1100587764 Hope this helps you. Herdon was Lincoln's law partner.
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Leon Stimpson, I think was the owner of the book. He owned a weight company in Kentucky in the 1800"s.
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I think the Leon Stinson that you mentioned is a different one that the one in the book. There was a Leon F. Stinson that was the publisher and proprietor of a newspaper in Fortuna, California - 18 miles south of where we bought the book. The book was purchased at an antique bookstore in Eureka, California.
I think (but I don't remember writing it down), that Stinson was a college buddy of Herndon.
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Yeah, Herndon was a good "friend" of Lincoln's. However, he is credited with the first negative portrayal of Mary Todd Lincoln. Apparently, Herndon didn't like her very much!
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Here is a link that I found with collector's books and their "asking" price. I just don't know if I have a first edition.
http://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/life-lincoln/author/herndon/sortby/1/
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I hope it was a good buy for you. I would love to have books like those. I'm sure they're really interesting. Just to experience the time period through their eyes would be neat!
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Yes, it was a good buy. I think I paid $20 for all three of them about 20 years ago. Even if they are only worth $20, it is still cool to have them. I too love old books. They have such character, and I love the smell! I know that probably sounds weird, but I do. I was only inquiring because they are in an antique secretary/hutch and I sometimes wonder if I should have them in a better place.
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"I love the smell! I know that probably sounds weird, but I do."
I know, right? Nothing weird about it as far as I'm concerned! 8)