Historic book and map: The History of Illinois, from its First Discovery and Settlement, to the Present Time, by Henry Brown. First edition. NY: New World Press, 1844. Hardcover, 5.5 x 8.5, 492 pages. Book condition: G/None, with title page detached but present, moderate-to-heavy foxing throughout, front hinge cracked, and chipping at spine head. Loosely laid in is a large, highly detailed 24 x 20 folded map entitled "Guide through Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin & Iowa," published by J. Calvin Smith in the same year.
Joel Davis Madden, Jr., left Princeton University in 1905 and moved west to make his fortune in the railroad industry. He went on to become an executive with the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, and died suddenly in 1928 at the age of 41. His book collection, offered by his granddaughter, has not been publicly offered or privately sold in a century.