Reynolds Pamphlet
[Alexander Hamilton]. Revelation of the Hamilton-Reynolds Affair, 1797 First Edition of The History of the United States for 1796 

[James Thomson Callender (1758-1803]. The History of the United States for 1796; Including a Variety of Interesting Particulars Relative to the Federal Government Previous to that Period. Philadelphia: Snowden & McCorkle, 1797. 

8vo. Contemporary calf-backed boards.

Rare first-edition copy of the salacious publication that triggered the first sex scandal in American political history, the "Hamilton-Reynolds Affair." Written by controversial political pamphleteer James T. Callender, who had a reputation as a bile-filled “scandalmonger,” the mildly-titled “The History of the United States 1796” is no exception. Callander, an early political attack dog, aligned himself with Federalist politicians like Thomas Jefferson and wielded his pen as a sword. In 1796, an unknown leaker provided the notorious muckraker with evidence of Hamilton’s infidelity and potential financial improprieties. Callander gleefully seized the opportunity to tear down a Republican rival and quickly published this very pamphlet, which stunned the young nation. Chapters VI and VII include the salacious details of Hamilton’s affair with the much younger (and also married) Maria Reynolds, and suggest that hush payments made by Hamilton to Reynolds’s husband were cover for much larger corruption perpetrated by the former Secretary of the Treasury.

Callender’s wild screed prompted an urgent and targeted response by Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804) under the title “Observations on Certain Documents Contained in No. V & VI of ‘The History of the United States for the Year 1796’,  in which the Charge of Speculation against Alexander Hamilton, Late Secretary of the Treasury, is Fully Refuted” popularly known as the “Reynolds Pamphlet”. In this famous response, Hamilton incredibly reveals his affair with Maria, that he paid James Reynolds hush payments under threat, and that both of the Reynolds may have been in on it. He also fully denied any broader corruption. Foreshadowing a now common crisis management tact in modern politics, Hamilton largely achieved his goal of preserving his public service reputation at the expense of his personal reputation. 

This original copy of the Callander pamphlet is an exceedingly rare example, records indicate that just a few copies have sold at auction since 1968. This is a singular opportunity to obtain a copy of perhaps the first and greatest example of political scandal in early American history. Sabin 10064 

Condition: Losses to spine with cracking, boards are separated, spotting throughout.