Lincoln's Herndon by DONALD, David - 1948

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1948. Hardcover. Introduction by Carl Sandburg. Small 4to. Blue cloth with gilt spine lettering, pictorial price-clipped dust jacket. xv, 392pp, xxiii. Illustrations. Near fine/very good. Jacket edgeworn and a bit age toned. Tight and most attractive first edition of this first serious scholarly examination of Lincoln's closest law partner. This copy bears a choice presentation inscription from the author in blue ink on front flyleaf: "For Ann and Mary Ann Schmidt / from Marion Bonzi / with the best wishes / of the author, / David Donald / Christmas 1948." Below this another hand (Bonzi's?) red pencils a reference to page 11 of the acknowledgments, where Donald notes that "My indebtedness to Miss Marion D. Bonzi of the Abraham Lincoln Association is profound. Expertly and meticulously she has read the book both in manuscript and in proof. Her passion for accuracy has saved me from a score of errors." Bonzi (1907-63) had serious Lincoln chops to her credit, having been instrumental in a number of heavyweight scholarly productions. Two years after this inscription she married legendary Lincoln historian Harry E. Pratt (1901-56), who served as Illinois state historian and authored and edited a prolific array of Lincoln-related titles, and they became a formidable husband/wife Lincoln team.