This is a rare 1944 wartime first edition of The Photographs of Abraham Lincoln, co-authored by Carl Sandburg and Frederick Hill Meserve, published by Harcourt, Brace and Company.
This remarkable copy features the prominent ink inscription and signature of Washington D.C. educator Stanley Dutton Willis, dated October 1949. Tucked safely inside the pages are extraordinary pieces of mid-century American history ephemera:
1. A 1965 National Park Service Official Brochure: The House Where Lincoln Died (Petersen House) and Ford's Theatre.
Historical Provenance & Background
The book's owner, Stanley Dutton Willis (1928–2024), was a beloved and long-serving English master at St. Albans School in Washington, D.C. Family history reveals an astonishing connection: Willis's paternal grandfather was actually in the audience at Ford's Theatre on the fateful night of April 14, 1865, personally witnessing the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.
This profound, generational link to Lincoln's tragedy explains why Willis acquired this definitive photographic record in 1949, and why he preserved the 1965 Ford's Theatre guide as a lifelong keepsake. This volume serves as a tactile monument to a family whose history directly intersected with America's darkest hour.
Condition Report
Overall Condition: Very Good.
Book: True 1944 wartime first edition (stamped with "A Wartime Book" emblem). The cloth binding and spine gilt are crisp. Pages have a natural aged toning with light foxing appropriate for its age, but remain clean, tight, and completely free of interior underlining.
Inscription: The 1949 ink signature of Stanley Dutton Willis is bold and perfectly preserved.
Ephemera: the 1965 Lincoln brochure is in excellent vintage condition, showing minor aging but no tears or structural damage. A spectacular archival set for any serious collector of Americana.
