The Martyrdom of Lovejoy: An Account of the Life, Trials, and Perils of Rev. Elijah P. Lovejoy, 1881 First Edition

Elijah Lovejoy Henry Tanner

First Edition

Tanner, Henry. The Martyrdom of Lovejoy: An Account of the Life, Trials, and Perils of Rev. Elijah P. Lovejoy. Chicago: Fergus Printing Company, 1881. First edition. Authorship credited to an "Eye-Witness" of Lovejoy's murder. Inscribed by the Fergus Printing Company to William F. Poole, Esq., a noted librarian and historian, in January 1881. 8vo. 174 pages
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A scarce and significant biography of the final days of Elijah P. Lovejoy, the abolitionist minister and newspaper editor who was murdered by a pro-slavery mob in Alton, Illinois, on November 7, 1837. Lovejoy’s killing made him the first martyr to the cause of freedom of the press and the abolition of slavery in the United States. This firsthand account, written by an anonymous eye-witness later identified as Henry Tanner of Buffalo, N.Y., documents Lovejoy’s efforts to publish anti-slavery material despite repeated mob violence, his theological convictions, and his ultimate sacrifice in defense of his printing press. The work provides a detailed chronicle of Lovejoy’s harrowing final days, during which he faced escalating threats before being fatally shot while attempting to protect his press from destruction. The volume includes a frontispiece silhouette of Lovejoy, reproduced from an original in the possession of his niece, Mrs. W.M.R. French of Chicago. The book is notable for its association with William F. Poole, a prominent librarian and bibliophile, as indicated by the inscription from the publisher. Original brown cloth binding with paper spine labels, heavily worn with chipping and fraying to the spine. The binding is worn with loss to the spine labels, hinges cracked but holding, and pages lightly foxed, yet the text remains clean and legible. In good condition overall. This edition stands as a crucial primary source on one of the earliest and most significant acts of violence against the abolitionist movement, underscoring the high cost of advocating for freedom in antebellum America.

Item #21580

Price: $450.00