Political Debates between Hon. Abraham Lincoln and Hon. Stephen A. Douglas. Columbus: 1860.

[LINCOLN, Abraham (1809-1865)]. Political Debates between Hon. Abraham Lincoln and Hon. Stephen A. Douglas. Columbus: Follett, Foster and Company, 1860.

8vo. 4pp. publisher's advertisements at front. (Some spotting, mostly concentrated to endpapers.) Original dark plum cloth, gilt-lettered spine (rubbing, hinges tightened). Provenance: Donald E. Petersen (1926-2024), American businessman and former CEO of the Ford Motor Company (ownership blind stamp); Lewis G. Stuart, newspaper editor (ownership stamps, presentation inscription).

FIRST EDITION, later issue, with "2" on p.13 (rather than p.17). SIGNED BY ACTORS RAYMOND MASSEY, AGNES MOOREHEAD, AND MARTIN GABEL. Raymond Massey once described himself as "the only actor ever typecast as a president," having played the role of Abraham Lincoln multiple times and most notably in Abe Lincoln in Illinois, which won him an Academy Award. Martin Gabel played Stephen Douglas opposite Massey in the 1957 play The Rivalry, with Agnes Moorehead performing as Adele Douglas.

This work was the first published edition of the debates between Lincoln and Douglas, conducted during their campaign for the U.S. Senate in 1858. Follett, Foster, and Co. would later publish Lincoln's campaign biography. Howes L338; Sabin 41156.

Political Debates between Hon. Abraham Lincoln and Hon. Stephen A. Douglas. Columbus: 1860.