Lake Pepin Fish-Chowder, in Letters to General Spinner.
Signed and inscribed by the author New York: H. D. McIntyre & Co., 1869.
First Edition. Hardcover. 12mo. [1], 141 pages, [2] pages advertisements, [1]. Brick cloth hardcover with gilt title stamped on the front cover. Cloth is lightly chipped head of the spine and edge worn on the corners. Light occasional foxed spots to the text. Inscribed and signed by the author on the title page - "Samuel C. Clarke, Esq. With the respects of Oliver Gibbs, Jr." Contents are a series of letters from a former Civil War officer to General Spinner on fishing in Minnesota. From the introduction: "These letters were begun with the purpose of amusing a little band of wild men in Washington, who, adopting the habits and customs of civilized life, were found to be pining for their old sports; and, chained to their office work the whole year round by the behests of public duty, they were obliged to be led around in some way as these letters took them, - On Paper, - or starve their gushing fancies altogether, except so far as they might be able to subsist upon the memory of what they had done with gun and angle before they came here. General F. E. Spinner, Treasurer of the United States, was the "Big Indian" of this band. Hence the letters were addressed to him,; and it was upon his motion that they were given a wider reading than was first intended, through The Spirit of the Times." Good. Item #35330
Price: $2,500.00