Bidspirit auction | 1861-1865. Duyckinck, Evert A. National

1861-1865. Duyckinck, Evert A. National History of the War for the Union. Johnson, Fry and Co. - Two volumes of Evert A. Duyckinck's National History of the War for the Union, Civil, Military and Naval, published in New York by Johnson, Fry and Company. These large quarto volumes are bound in contemporary brown half-leather over matching cloth or paper boards, featuring decorative gilt-stamped spines with five raised bands and gold-tooled borders on the leather corners. The text blocks feature marbled edges and matching marbled endpapers. The title page of Volume I indicates the work was originally intended for three volumes. The volumes are heavily illustrated with highly-finished steel engravings from original paintings by Alonzo Chappel and Thomas Nast. Visible plates include full-length portraits of James Buchanan, Winfield Scott, Lewis Cass, Benjamin F. Butler, and Franz Sigel. Battle scenes depicted include Bull Run, Shiloh, Fair Oaks, and Antietam. A copyright notice on the verso of the title page reads Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1861, By JOHNSON, FRY and COMPANY, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York. The bindings exhibit significant wear consistent with age, including heavy scuffing and leather loss at the spines, corners, and edges (photos 1, 2, 3, 5). The internal pages show moderate foxing and toning throughout, with distinct ghosting where engravings have transferred images to opposing text pages (photos 8, 14, 16, 17, 18). Creasing and handling wear are visible on several leaves, particularly near the gutter (photo 13). Despite the external wear, the bindings appear structurally sound and the text blocks remain attached.