A Life of James Fisk, Jr, Being a Full and Accurate Narrative of All the Enterprises in Which He Has Been Engaged by [Stafford, Marshall P.] - 1871

New York: Polhemus & Pearson, Printers, 1871. Very Good condition. SEE PHOTOS. A square, tight copy. Light scattered foxing. Previous owner's name (old) on front free endpaper. Green cloth, with gilt decorated, red leather spine label. Illustrated with engraved portraits. An early biography of New York businessman, financier, and railroad tycoon James Fisk (1834-1872). It was Fisk (aka "Jubilee Jim"), who along with Jay Gould helped cause Black Friday, the 1869 stock market crash. In their attempt to corner the gold market, Fisk and Gould made millions while ruining many innocent investors. As a director of the Erie Railroad, Fisk helped Jay Gould and Daniel Drew to raid the line. Fisk successfully countered the attempts of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt and Justice George G. Barnard (a Tweed lackey) to capture the Erie in a hostile takeover. Although Fisk was generally perceived as a public enemy, and his career was replete with bribes and scandals, this biography portrays him favorably. Within a year of the book's publication, Fisk was dead. At the age of thirty-seven, in a quarrel over his favorite mistress the actress Josie Mansfield, Fisk was and shot and killed by Edward "Ned" Stokes. (See DAB). The book contains details on Tammany Hall, Boss William Tweed, and nefarious business dealings, especially in New York City during the 1860s. Not in Larson.. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good condition. 8vo. 300pp. Great Packaging, Fast Shipping.