[UNITED STATES] EYMA, Xavier. The American Republic: Its Ins - Lot 149

[UNITED STATES] EYMA, Xavier. The American Republic: Its Institutions and Its People. First edition of this study on the institutions and society of the United States in the aftermath of Abraham Lincoln’s election. A fine copy in a contemporary binding. Paris and Brussels, Michel Lévy and Lacroix, van Meenen & Co., 1861. 2 tomes in 2 in-8 volumes, each bound in brown morocco-covered half-shagreen, ribbed spine, panels decorated with blind-stamped fillets and a central gilt medallion. 411 and 339 pp. Normal scuffing; a small tear in the margin of the title page of the first volume. First edition, enhanced by a signed autograph dedication from the author on the title page of the first volume, which has been neatly torn to remove the recipient’s name, “His Excellency”… possibly an ambassador. Ex-libris stamps on the title pages bearing the monogram “P.H.” A journalist, traveler, and novelist, Xavier Eyma (1816–1901) spent many years in America. Drawing on his experience, he paints a broad picture of American political institutions, how they function, and the leading figures of the young republic. A fine copy in a contemporary binding, virtually free of foxing.