Bundy, Carol (Lowell Jr., Charles Russell)

The Nature of Sacrifice: A Biography of Charles Russell Lowell, Jr., 1835-64 with: Ephemera

ISBN: 0374120773
New York, NY: Farrar , Straus and Giroux, 2005. First Edition. Hardcover. "Charles Russell Lowell, Jr. led a brief, intense life: born in 1835 to a Boston family that for more than a century was a guiding force in the history of New England, Lowell died in 1864 during the battle of Cedar Creek, mortally wounded before the crucial Union victory there. In this intimate portrait of a privileged young Yankee who became a battle-hardened soldier and revered officer, Carol Bundy draws on a wealth of family papers and unexamined public archives to display the lasting influence Lowell had on his and subsequent generations. With his almost unerring ability to understand the implications of a situation and to act accordingly, Lowell came to symbolize the perfection of a gentleman officer and, with his death, the lost promise of New England." (from front flap) A comprehensive, magisterial biography of the American Civil War Hero Charles Russell Lowell, Jr. (1835-1864) by Carol Bundy, the great-great-great niece of Lowell, Jr. & a noted film writer. With what might be called cinematic sweep & granular detail, Bundy thrillingly relates the larger-than-life, stranger-than-fiction life, times & legacy of her heroic ancestor. With a section of captioned historical photographs. Hardcover in unclipped dust jacket, "First edition, 2005" as stated on copyright page, first printing as indicated by number sequence thereon. From the collection of Russell Taylor Weil (1927-2023), a prominent attorney & collector from Washington, DC. Weil has hand-written his dashing ownership signature in black ink at blank front endpaper, unusually among his books that we have acquired. Additionally, between front paste-down & endpaper, we found & have retained a smaller-sized sheet with (we're all-but-certain) Weil's notes concerning Lowell Jr.'s own ancestry in cursive blue ink, in fine condition with some faint creases, slight wear & tearing at upper edge. A popular & essential collectible for the American Civil War devotee-scholar, in its rarest contemporary form with distinguished provenance & relevant ephemera. We note to Third Minds that we believe that the town of Lowell, Massachusetts- the birthplace of Beat Generation Founding Father Jack Kerouac- was named after the distinguished Lowell family, either Lowell, Jr. himself or his own ancestors as listed by Weil- whose own first name may indicate he was himself related to the illustrious Lowells. Book in very fine condition with only a hint of rubbing to front, back covers & spine; a bit of wear & some tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same; slight rubbing & occasional spotting at edges of text block esp. upper edge with small spot-stain from binding (possibly a slight flaw as issued). Interior very fine, substantially mint. Dust jacket very fine with very slight rubbing, faint scratching to front, back covers, spine & flaps; a touch of wear & some tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same. Very Fine / Very Fine. [Item #6484]

Price: $40.00