![]() ![]() ![]() The inside front board has spine samples of the dark leather and tan editions, while the inside rear board has the same in green cloth each bears the famous “shoulder strap” that marks the set. This is followed by blank pages for noting the subscribers to the set, with place for the names, addresses, and number of volumes purchased. The Sample includes two engraved frontispieces a few other full-page illustrations Grant’s Preface and sampling of various chapters from the two volumes. The cover of the Salesman Sample is the usually-seen green cloth boards and cover design we see on the trade edition. Samples of the binding are included in this Salesman Sample booklet. This team initially sold 350,000 two-volume sets with prices ranging from $3.50 to $12 depending on the binding. Many of these salesmen were veterans, some dressing in their Civil War uniforms. Ten thousand agents blanketed the North, each following a script Twain had written. Twain’s created a unique marketing plan that would reach millions of veterans. Grant eventually signed with Twain’s firm, Charles L. He believed he could offer Grant a better deal. When Twain heard about the offer, he was appalled by how little money Grant would get from the sales of the book. That plan would give Grant ten percent of all sales after the book was finished. Grant had agreed to–but had not signed–a contract with The Century Company. He wanted to continue on that path, hoping to create a memoir of his military career. Originally, Grant had written some articles about his battle experiences for The Century Company. Mark Twain was not part of project when Grant began his memoirs. The original handwritten manuscript survives today, and is entirely written in Grant’s hand. Grant did not write his memoirs many thought them the work of Mark Twain. distinctive shoulder straps on each spine.įor several years, rumors circulated that Ulysses S. Published in 1885-6, the initial printing of 200,000 of two octavo volumes were sold only by subscription. Still in print today, it is considered the gold standard of the Memoir genre and is considered by many as the finest memoir of any of our presidents, rivaled only by Eisenhower’s Crusade in Europe.įinished by July 20, 1885, three days before his painful death, these books are ranked as among the finest memoirs from any U. This is one of three states for the original first edition, at once the most common and the most sought after by collectors.Įach copy includes what looked like a handwritten note from Grant himself a note that vexes booksellers to this day. Webster and Company shortly after Grant’s death. Written as Grant was dying of cancer in 1885, the two-volume set was published by Charles L. Grant, the Green Shoulder Strap First Trade Edition, with the tough-to-find Salesman Sample. ![]()
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