"Our Standard-Bearer; or, The Life of General Ulysses S. Grant: His Youth, His Manhood, His Campaigns, and His Eminent Services in the Reconstruction of the Nation Hai Sword Has Redeemed:" as Seen and Related by Captain Bernard Galligasken, Cosmopolitan, and Written Out by Oliver Optic. Illustrated by Thomas Nast; published by Lee and Shepard, Boston, 1868. First Edition with "1868" on the bottom of the title page and copyright. The Preface by Oliver Optic is dated July 11, 1868.

Hard boards, original embossed green cloth, gold decorated spine [some shelf and surface wear]; 4.1/2" x 7"; antique book dealer stamp on the front endpaper (unidentified); former owner's name is ink written on the first blank page; frontispiece with tissue guard [light vertical folds frontispiece and title page: see photos]; 348 pages + 4 page publisher's list of O. Optic books + wood engraved frontispiece and five wood-print plates by Thomas Nast. Some soiling, several page corner folds, two pages have a rough edge, very good condition.

William Taylor Adams (1822-1897), pseudonym Oliver Optic, was an academic, educator, author, and a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

Thomas Nast (1840-1902) was a German-born American caricaturist and editorial cartoonist often considered to be the "Father of the American Cartoon". He created a modern version of Santa Claus (based on the traditional German figures of Sankt Nikolaus and Weihnachtsmann) and the political symbol of the elephant for the Republican Party (GOP). Nast was associated with the magazine Harper's Weekly from 1859 to 1860 and from 1862 until 1886. Nast's influence was so widespread that Theodore Roosevelt once said, "Thomas Nast was our best teacher."

US: Priority (c.2-4 days) ------------ $18.50
Canada: Priority (c.2-6 weeks) ----- $32.50
World: Priority (c.2-8 weeks) ------ $48.50