Memoir of the Rev. Elijah P. Lovejoy; who was Murdered in Defence of the Liberty of the Press, at Alton, Illinois, Nov. 7, 1837
New York: John S. Taylor, 1838.
First Edition. Hardcover. Very good. 12mo, 382 pp; original cloth. Boards faded and lightly soiled, endpapers foxed, binding sound, text clean. Lovejoy (1802-1837) was a reform-minded evangelical preacher and editor of the religious newspaper The Observer. His vocal support for the abolitionist cause and refusal to back down under pressure resulted in attacks on his printing press by angry mobs in both Missouri and Illinois. On the fourth such occasion, Lovejoy was shot and killed while trying to prevent his building being set on fire. Though previously obscure, after his "martyrdom" Lovejoy was widely hailed as both an abolitionist and a defender of freedom of the press. Sabin 42366; Howes L-522.
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