[Jackson, Andrew] (Kane, John Kintzing) A Candid View of the Presidential Question, by a Pennsylvanian

The Emergence of Modern Presidential Campaigning in the Mudslinging 1828 Election

Philadelphia: Printed by William Stavely, August, 1828. First edition. 8vo. 22 pp. Printed stab-sewn self-wrappers, creasing along spine and in corners; spotting and soiling to text; pencil notation at top of front wrapper ("Dup N.H."); in red cloth fall-down-back box. Sabin 60789; Shaw & Shoemaker 33747

Rare pro-Andrew Jackson 1828 presidential campaign pamphlet, by Pennsylvania lawyer and Democratic party politico John Kintzing Kane (1795-1858). Kane graduated from Yale in 1814 and began practicing law in Philadelphia in 1817. He was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1824 to 1825 and left the waning Federalist party before the end of his term, disgusted by the so-called "corrupt bargain" between President John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay following the presidential election of 1824. By 1828 he had aligned himself with Andrew Jackson and campaigned heavily for him.

The 1828 election is remembered as a watershed moment in American politics. Its divisive and bitter nature was unlike any before or after, and its use of organized campaigning helped foster the emergence of the two-party system, in which this pamphlet played a part. As such, this pamphlet, "contrasted the self-made man and national hero Jackson with the elitist Adams. Distributed nationally, Candid View helped create a new type of campaigning through the popular press and pamphleteering." (Grow, "Liberty to the Downtrodden" Thomas L. Kane, Romantic Reformer, 2009, p. 5).

According to RBH, this is the first copy to ever be offered at auction. OCLC locates only four other copies, in the Pennsylvania State Library, the Library of Congress, the American Antiquarian Society, and the John C. Hodges Library at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Shaw & Shoemaker locate further copies at the Maryland Historical Society, the New York Public Library, the Historical and Philosophical Society of Ohio, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and at the Library Company of Philadelphia.

To request further details about this lot, please email [email protected]

Darren Winston

SVP, Head of Department, Books and Manuscripts, Philadelphia

[email protected]267.414.1247

Darren Winston, Senior Vice President at Freeman’s, has served as Head of Department for Books & Manuscripts, Philadelphia, since 2018. He has been a trustee of the Rosenbach Museum and Library since 2022, is a member of The Manuscript Society, The Bibliographical Society of America, and Philadelphia’s Philobiblon Club.

Raised in northern New Jersey, Darren moved to New York City in 1988 and began his career there as a bookseller in 1995. He spent the next 18 years selling to private clients and at East Coast book fairs. In 2003 he moved with his young family to Sharon, Connecticut where, in 2009, he opened his own bookshop. Darren Winston, Bookseller offered rare and vintage books, prints, fine art, and more, and hosted over 50 book signings and art shows. He was a trustee and, later, Board President, of the Sharon Historical Society, and for six years a trustee of Indian Mountain School in Lakeville, Connecticut.

Darren has hosted the radio program "Darren Winston's Book Report" for NPR-affiliate WHDD since 2009, appeared in the 2014 book-themed documentary The Paper Trail, and in 2024 he joined Antiques Roadshow as a books and manuscripts appraiser. From 1999 to 2005, Darren was the buyer and consultant to the Fine and Rare Books Department at Asprey, the British luxury goods company, at its New York headquarters. While there he spearheaded various in-store events including readings by Salman Rushdie and Dominick Dunne.

In 1993, Darren was hired as a Creative Consultant to Columbia Records, where he assisted in the repackaging of their 12-record Aerosmith back catalogue. He later sold his extensive collection of Aerosmith memorabilia, which he began amassing at the age of 14, directly to the band.

Darren now lives on the Main Line, outside Philadelphia, with his wife, two children, and dog. The family travels frequently to his wife's native England and Scotland. When not bookselling, he plays guitar in Pumped, an Aerosmith tribute band. Darren also appears on the top-rated PBS television program Antiques Roadshow.

Printed and Manuscript Americana

[Jackson, Andrew] (Kane, John Kintzing) A Candid View of the Presidential Question, by a Pennsylvanian

Printed and Manuscript Americana

[Jackson, Andrew] (Kane, John Kintzing) A Candid View of the Presidential Question, by a Pennsylvanian

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