Twenty years of Congress by James G. Blaine. Who was Speaker of the House, Senator, Presidential candidate, Secretary of State, author, and much more. But most of all a perfectionist. This picture and faceplate are from the book seen above. These books were from the Library of Congressman Augustus Cutler ..(1827-1897), who served in the 44th and 45th U.S. Congress ..from 1875 to 1879.
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These books have an interesting story to them. Not dealing with who owned them, but the story of how they had been written.
They took several years and are considered great historic masterpieces. But as told by Chancey DePew in 1922 in his wonderful book...My memories of 80 years...when DePew was 93 years of age........For Blaine it was not so easy a book to write.
He told Mr. DePew one day he was in low spirits as he had just destroyed the first volume of his Twenty years of Congress. It was ready to go to the printer. but he had dictated it and felt it lacked much.
He put it this way to DePew..."I dictated the whole of it, but I find that accuracy and elegance can only be had at the end of a pen. I shall rewrite the memoirs in ink. "
So the entire set was rewritten by Blaine...It is a wonderful history by one of the more fascinating characters of the later 19th century.