My Diary North and South by William Howard Russell first edition set 1863

RUSSELL, William Howard. My Diary North and South.

London, Bradbury and Evans, 1863.
 
First edition. Two volumes, 8vo (approx. 130 × 210 mm). Vol. I pp. 424; Vol. II pp. 442. With the large folding map, “Map to accompany My Diary North & South, with the Author’s Route Coloured”, present and neatly repaired at one fold, with a short tear to another (often lacking). Original deep blue blind-stamped cloth, spines lettered and decorated in gilt. Light rubbing to spine ends and extremities with one or two bumps, boards bright. Occasional light spotting and handling marks to the text, ownership inscription in pencil to front endpapers. One page with a repaired short tear and similar to three other pages. Gentle creases to pages in places. Overall a very good set.
 
First edition of My Diary North and South, Russell’s contemporary account of the American Civil War written during his travels in the Union and Confederacy. Russell, as The Times’s special correspondent, records military operations, political leadership, and civilian life, with sustained attention to slavery and its social consequences.  It is a rare British eyewitness account of the conflict, and an early example of modern war reporting.