This is an exciting find for me. If it were a complete set, it would be worth at least 4 times this price. As is, 23 of 28 volumes is ... wow! And I found it at an old old bookseller in Detroit, from whence I came to Tejas 45 years ago. Only seems like yesterday ... truly!
I have yet to unwrap all volumes. As soon as I do I will know which are "missing" ... and see if I can find either individual copies of the same edition. If not, I will try and get copies that will at least fill in to complete the set. The price now is "as is". I will make the missing volumes available to the buyer at my cost; right now looking like between $35 and $70 for random volumes; still need to catalog what is missing first.
As to this set, it says in one of the intro leaf's,
"This uniform edition as first issued was limited to 1310 copies, of which 60 copies were not for sale (i.e. I'll explain shortly). There have been sold to the public 250 copies and 1000 copies are now included in the present Elkhorn Edition, of which this is No 160".
Those first 60 copies Roosevelt reserved for himself to sign and "gift" to special people. The next 250 were issued as "teasers" to make sure they would sell before the rest of these were printed. Roosevelt was a pretty keen marketer ... and Charles Scribner and Sons, his publisher on this and most of his prior works, were never quite sure how things would be received. As it turned out ... they went very very quickly. That is why so many "editions" got put out.
This is the first one I have seen with 28 volumes ... and I need to compare with both earlier and later to see what is what with these. I am pretty sure that between his original sets and this one Roosevelt completed several works ... which would explain some of the additional books, but I've got to tear the paper of all (long time booksellers wrap each individually... nice touch but a pain when you want to get to them.
I just wanted to get this up as quickly as the books arrived and I could examine them. So far, very fine. First couple do not appear to have been read or creased. Olive(ish) green cloth bindings; inlay edge title and gold gilt on the top page edges. Gold border and "R" on the front cover. A small bit of wear on the end spines ... like being taken on and off shelves over the years, probably moving from place to place to place. One more such move coming up!
OK, now I am off to read my nightly chapter (or half chapter... it's an 800 page book) of Roosevelt by Edmond Morris - Pulitzer Prize winner in ______. I am really enjoying it ... and as a bonus on this deal, I will include a copy of Morris's book with this set. Read Roosevelt and read about Roosevelt from birth to death.
