Twenty Years of Congress by James G. Blaine (1884), First Edition, First Printing, Volumes I and II (of 2 volumes) 2024

2024 Twenty Years of Congress from Lincoln to Garfield With a Review of The Events Which Led to The Political Revolution of 1860 by James G. Blaine, Volumes I and II. Published in 1884 by The Henry Bill Publishing Company: Norwich, CT.

Both are hardcovers bound in faded red leather. Volume II is significantly more worn and faded. Pictures represent overall condition of both books. There are no markings on the pages within. Description of books from the Library of Congress:

"Senator James Blaine wrote Twenty Years of Congress chiefly as a political history, but also as a personal reminiscence. The two volumes cover the political events from 1861 through 1881. Volume one begins with a thorough review of events leading up to the formation of the Republican party, the election of President Abraham Lincoln, and the secession of the Southern states. The second volume covers issues that arose during the Civil War and Reconstruction era and the people and political events of that tumultuous time.

Blaine's intent was to present an objective history, and he wrote respectfully of political opponents, including a portrait of his political foe, Senator Roscoe Conkling, of New York. A contemporary newspaper account proclaimed it “an instance of the wise elimination of prejudice from his work,” to which Blaine responded, “The history of Congress would be incomplete without [Conkling's] name and services.” "