Ten Pound Island Book Company

Old, Rare And Out of Print Books, Manuscripts And Charts Pertaining To The Sea

All Impressments Unlawful and Inadmissible.

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Item #44057
All Impressments Unlawful and Inadmissible.
(Madison, James).
Munroe & Francis, ( (1808)), Boston
24.5 cm. 12 pp.
Price: $150

The text of this pamphlet consists almost entirely of “Extract of a letter from the Secretary of State… James Monroe… 5th January, 1804,” a formal statement of America’s objection to Great Britain’s impressment of American sailors, a hot-button issue in its day, and one of the “causes” of the War of 1812. There were several Boston and Philadelphia printings, but they’re all scarce today. See S&S 15479. Nothing listed in Americana Exchange save for a copy offered by Goodspeed in the 1950s, and one by Lathrop Harper in 1914. Pages tanned, edges chipped with no loss of text in this wide-margined copy. Sewn as issued.