Heroes of the Spanish-American War and Lyre and Sword of Spain: Two Epic Poems

New York: N.p., 1899. Hardcover. 12mo. Off-white cloth with black lettering, rules and decoration. 220pp, (3pp ads). Full-page plates, text leaves ruled in red. Very good. Binding typically age toned and slightly soiled, else tight and internally fine; 7 full-page glossy plates, and while illustrations page calls for frontispiece and 20 plates, there's no evidence of these plates. Truly tight and quite attractive first edition of this patriotic narrative poem -- with fine autograph addition: This copy extra-illustrated with special frontispiece, a fine glossy reproduction of a photographic portrait of John D. Long (verso a photograph of then-President William McKinley) on the blank lower margin of which is affixed a clipped (3¼" X 7/8") slip signed boldly by Long. Long (1838-1915) was a Massachusetts congressman and governor who served as Secretary of the Navy (1897-1902) during the Spanish-American War and of course appears as a character in Price's poem: "Long swift assembled on the sea / ... Fleets by gallant Commanders led / ... The Secretary's mind was train'd / Through busy action's varied scenes,-- / Well drill'd, well school'd; wise course maintain'd / Till varied gifts high place sustain'd...." Scarce, and though apparently lacking some called for plates, this sharp copy bears an added frontispiece and signature of a major player. Most unusual.