NESS, George T., Jr.

The Regular Army on the Eve of the Civil War.

      - Baltimore: Toomey Press, 1990. 4to. Blue cloth, gilt. vii, 327pp. Illustrations. Inscribed by Ness. Accompanied by an archive of letters from Ness. First edition, inscribed by Ness on the title page "To Arnold and Mrs Gates / in appreciation of your advice, support and friendship." Gates is among those thanked in the book's acknowledgments, as he should be, for the accompanying sheaf of letters from Ness (mostly TLsS, about 45 in number, or 59 pages, between 1953 and 1968) attest to Gates' crucial role in the publication of this book. "The Regular Army" was a long time in coming; in one letter of August 6, 1955, Ness first suggests "The Army on the Eve of the Civil War" as a title! There is considerable discussion of his progress on the manuscript (Gates critiqued different drafts of each chapter), general Civil War talk, Round Table gossip, Lincoln lore, and so forth -- even a formal 1960 agreement between Ness and Gates authorizing Gates to act as his agent for this book. Also present are rather harsh rejection letters from Holt, Rinehart and Winston and Harcourt, Brace & World. A fascinating archive of letters, showing in detail the long-term gestation of this book. [Attributes: First Edition; Signed Copy; Hard Cover]