A Notable Lawsuit by HEAD, Franklin H - 1898

Chicago: Privately Printed, 1898. Paperback. 12mo. Stiff wrappers, dust jacket. Illustrations. Fine/very good. Mild jacket edgewear. First edition -- and an exceptional copy it is -- of this rare survivor of which we find only a 2002 facsimile reprint. Head (1832-1914) was president of the Chicago Historical Society and a noted attorney and industrialist, but it was as founder of the tongue-in-cheek Chicago Liars Club that he published this outrageous hoax about a lawsuit, John Jacob Astor v. Frederick Law Olmstead, involving of all things Captain Kidd's hidden treasure. It's possible that even the jacket front panel year ("mdcccixvii") is in jest, as 1897 would be correctly formatted "mdcccxcvii." A subtitle that appears both on the title page and the jacket front panel, "Studies in Early American History," is also intended to convey that this title is a volume in some legitimate historical series. What's truly astonishing about this first edition is that it is in near fine condition... AND it bears a fine presentation inscription on the inner flyleaf from Head to J.H. Eckels (1858-1907), another notable Chicagoan, head of a national bank in Chicago and former Comptroller of the U.S. Currency... AND most remarkably it still has its dust jacket, which is in superb condition. The first edition almost never comes on the market, especially a choice presentation copy such as this. All in all an extraordinary copy of this rarity, a quite desirable Chicago item.