[French, James Strange]:

$2,250 · Offered by William Reese Company

THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT, OF WEST TENNESSEE. First edition of the popular first "biography" of Davy Crockett, dubiously attributed to James S. French. This unauthorized collection of tall tales and modern myths was printed in Cincinnati in 1833; another, much more commonly seen edition was published later the same year in New York under the title Sketches and Eccentricities of Col. David Crockett, of West Tennessee, and many more times afterwards. Crockett did not immediately approve of this spurious biography, flattering though it may be, and published his own Narrative the following year to counter the misinformation. Regardless, this work helped propel Crockett to the folk-hero status that would shortly be solidified by his death at the Alamo. Rare Book Hub records no copies of this first edition at auction since 1954.

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