(Rare Books & Manuscripts) Covers the life and times of George Washington, with 6,000 items, many of which were printed before 1800. Received in October 1930 by bequest from Walter Updike Lewisson, this major collection includes books, pamphlets, broadsides, and newspapers. Among the rarer items are a dozen editions of Washington's Farewell Address printed in 1796, and about 220 of the eulogies and funeral orations delivered during the official period of mourning between December 1799 and February 1800. This last group is representative not only of contemporary American oratory, but of local printing in small towns as well as in major centers. As of 2018, much of this collection is accession, but remains uncataloged.
A detailed description of the Lewisson bequest was published in More Books (Feb., 1931, p. 49-57), opens a new window. (Rare Books & Manuscripts)
