THE LIFE OF THOMAS JEFFERSON. . . VOL. I and VOL. II. [Volume One-1 & Volume Two-2 only.]

VOLUME I AND VOLUME II ONLY of a three volume set. First editions (both volumes having 1858 at foot of title page and 1857 copyrights on versos). Hardcovers: H 23.75cm x L 15.25cm. Contemporary half-leather bindings - dark brown leather spines with five raised bands and marbled paper boards with leather corners. Surface furrows and slight chipping to Volume I's light brown title and author spine labels; slight scuffing to spine ends and bands; boards rubbed with slender wear to edges and worn corners. All edges marbled. Marbled endpapers; ownership paper label "C.O. Nicholson" s on each volume's front pastedown (attributed to Caroline Gordon O'Rielly Nicholson, 1811-1894, wife of A.O.P. Nicholson); Vol. I's ffep verso has pencil inscription "AOP Nicholson" followed by date which is either 1859 or 1889 (if former date than possibly Alfred Osborn Pope Nicholson, 1808-1876, but if latter date then can be his son Alfred Osborn Pope Nicholson Jr.). Foxing/toning to interior leaves. Bindings are firm. Both volumes have two b/w frontispieces with interlaying tissue guards: Volume I with a portrait of Jefferson and a b/w image of Monticello; Volume II has Jefferson profile from a Gilbert Stuart painting and two images of Jefferson seals. Volume I features two sheet foldout facsimile draft of Declaration of Independence (between pages 172-173) with has slight wear along bottom edges as they fractionally protrude past text block as the two sheets do not follow their original folds; Volume I's other foldout which stays true to its original folds is a facsimile June 1787 letter from Jefferson to his daughter Patsy Jefferson (Martha Jefferson Randolph). These two volumes were acquired among a multi-generational collection of a Tupelo, Mississippi family that had Pulaski, Tennessee roots which, in turn, provides geographic proximity to the Nicholson family's Maury County, Tennessee heritage. Alfred Osborn Pope Nicholson married Caroline G. O'Reilly on June 17, 1829 and served as U.S. Senator from Tennessee, newspaper editor, bank president, and Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice. The aforementioned AOP Nicholson signature has some similarity but does not outright match an example of the Senator's signature found online so it might well be that of his second-born child Alfred Jr. who served during the Civil War in the famed Company Aytch (Co. H), Maury Grays, First Tennessee Infantry Regiment as well as in the 9th Tennessee Infantry. The aforementioned front pastedown labels are readily attributable to the Senator's wife and mother of Jr. Please note that this set has an approximate shipping weight of 6.5 pounds (2.94 kg) and may require additional postage for any postal class other than domestic Media Mail.…