About this Item
Roosevelt, Theodore, The Rough Riders. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1899. Octavo. First Edition. Illustrated with plates throughout. Presented in original olive green cloth boards, with gilt emblem and titles to the front and gilt titles to the spine. New archival cloth slipcase to match.
Presented is the first edition printing of Theodore Roosevelt?s The Rough Riders. Published by Charles Scribner?s Sons in New York in 1899, this book was a best seller upon its release. The book chronicles Roosevelt?s time commanding the Rough Riders during the Spanish American War.
When Congress declared war on Spain on April 25th 1898, Roosevelt famously paused his personal career goals to raise his own volunteer cavalry, the ?Rough Riders.? Volunteer regiments were supposed to be composed exclusively of frontiersmen, possessing special qualifications as horsemen and marksmen. Yet Roosevelt so successfully promoted his volunteer regiment that 20,000 applications were received in five days, from all parts of the country. Inspired to create a unique fighting force that would represent a microcosm of the country itself, Roosevelt persuaded the authorities to enlarge the regiment to include a troop of easterners. Roosevelt made them part of a cohesive unit, ensuring that cowboys and cattle drivers worked and slept side by side with bankers and the sons of New York?s elite.
Roosevelt?s ?Rough Riders? arrived in Cuba on June 23, 1898. Holding the position of Lieutenant Colonel, Teddy led his men into battle and charged valiantly up San Juan Hill, a decisive battle effectively ending the Spanish-American War. Less than a month later, on July 17, the Spanish had surrendered Cuba. His regiment proved worthy of its press and Roosevelt?s famous charge up San Juan Hill catapulted him to the Governorship of New York, the Vice Presidency, and ultimately the White House.
The Rough Riders is a unique and compelling account of perhaps the most famous regiment in American history, as told by its Lieutenant. As such, it remains one of Roosevelt's most engaging and enduring works. The book is further collected for its numerous plates, printed from early photographs, a drawing by C.D. Gibson, and a painting by Frederick Remington, all of which add to this important historical record.
CONDITION:
Very condition. First edition. Octavo. In publisher?s olive cloth boards, with gilt titles and gilt bronze medal design embossed on the front, gilt titles to spine. Spine and board edges lightly sunned, with some soiling. Light edgewear to binding. Gilt top edges are trimmed, deckled fore edges. New joints and lining. p. xi roughly opened with some marginal chipping, but no loss to text. Minor occasional soiling in text, otherwise clean. Frontispiece black and white portrait of Roosevelt, based on photography by Rockwood, with Roosevelt?s facsimile signature underneath. With a tissue guard. Additional 43 illustrations, mostly photogravures. Very clean inside, paper is healthy. 236pp. + 62pp. of Appendices, Appendix A: Muster-Out Roll, Appendix B: Sept 10 1898 Copy of Letter from Roosevelt , Appendix C: Report of the Associated Press correspondent of the round robin incident, Appendix D: Corrections. Presented with a new archival cloth slipcase, with inlay of Roosevelt on the front.
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