THE JACKSONS AND THE LEES. Two Generations of Massachusetts Merchants 1765-1844

Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1937. 2 volumes. First Edition. Presentation Copy. With Fine Provenance. Inscribed by Henry Lee Shattuck to George C. Shattuck, both grandsons of Colonel Henry Lee, and descendants of Jonathan Jackson and Joseph Lee, Sr. and members of the families about which the book is written. The inscription is dated November 1937 at the time of publication. Profusely illustrated throughout, with 31 full-page illustrations in Vol.I, and 18 in Vol. II, along with very expansive descriptions concerning each of the illustrations. 8vo, publisher's original crimson cloth, the spine panels lettered in gilt, top edges gilt. xx, 772; xiii, [3], 73-1625 pp. A very handsome set, very well preserved, the cloth with minimal evidence of age, the bindings tight and strong, the text-blocks clean and near as pristine. SCARCE FIRST EDITION WITH FINE LEE FAMILY PROVENANCE. The Jackson/Lee descendants provided the manuscripts which were furnished for the purposes of the writing. The work is a scholarly contribution to historical knowledge and the historiography of early Boston and New England. The members of both families supplied extensive documentary materials for the book's author.
The Jackson and Lee families were engaged in early mercantile capitalism in America and were important figures in its development, but the families also showed remarkable powers of adaptation to successive forms of capitalism, mercantile, industrial, and financial; and, as opportunity served, they were to do more than their share in promoting the cultural welfare of America.
Of the broad pictures that emerge, is the commercial family compact, the set of families that intermarried and did business with the world, using one another in special positions of trust. The records and documents produced within the pages of the two volumes show nothing more was involved than the confidence that kinsmen feel in one another. And the lines within the letters and documents indicate that ability was not a guaranteed accompaniment of honour and exertion.
The Jacksons and Lees exported and imported and wholesaled their goods in America. They had ships at sea and were active in the Calcutta trade and the East Indian affairs. This is an important set of books, providing insights into the making of early American trade, capital and the merchant culture.
The provenance is enhanced by the fact that the inscriber was intimately involved in the publication of the books.