Descripción
[17]-63pp. (as issued), plus ten plates and [1]p. of publisher's advertisements. Original pictorial green wrappers. Wrappers soiled and worn, spine heavily chipped. Light tanning but otherwise quite clean internally. Overall good plus. A rare German-language pamphlet capitalizing on the dramatic news of President Garfield's assassination and Guiteau's ensuing trial. Garfield's death in 1881 understandably caused a sensation, and the assassin's attendant eccentricities and theatrical behavior generated an immediate and powerful demand for news coverage; a rush of pamphlets of varying sympathies and quality were printed before the end of the year in English, French, Dutch, German, and more. The public fascination with the case was such that it extended well beyond reading matter; after Guiteau's execution, his body was sent to the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, where the crumbling remains of his brain can still be seen on display. The present pamphlet, published in early 1882 by Barclay & Co., Philadelphia's prolific publisher of the lurid and louche, is essentially a German translation of The Life and Assassination of President Garfield: Together with the Life of the Cowardly Assassin, Guiteau, which was published only a few months prior. While fully reset in Fraktur and with some minor changes to layout and organization, the rush to print in order to capture the media sensation of the ongoing trial is evident throughout - the wrappers are identical except for the addition of a small German subtitle, and the plates were lifted from the English-language edition wholesale, captions and all. The pamphlet itself, printed after Guiteau's indictment but prior to his conviction and execution, briefly describes the events of June 30th before moving on in true tabloid fashion to outlandish (although surprisingly often true) tales of the assassin's past eccentricities and indiscretions as well as a glowing and effusive account of Garfield's life and deeds. Barclay would follow up this pamphlet a few months later with The Great Guiteau Trial., which was also translated into German shortly afterwards. Interesting evidence of the growing sensationalism in mass media in the late 19th century, as well as these publishers' eagerness to tap into different segments of the population. While the English version is somewhat scarce as well, OCLC records this very rare German edition at only three institutions: Hamilton College, the University of Delaware, and Harvard. OCLC 2058667. McDADE 413 (English ed). N° de ref. del artículo WRCAM58983
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