The First Published Life of Abraham Lincoln - by John Locke Scripps,
1900
#128 of 245 copies printed (only 239 copies assembled and bound)
Ransom #1
Information from The Cranbrook Press by Paul McPharlin:
This is a reprint of an 1860 biography of Lincoln. When this book was printed in 1900, it was believed that the 1860 work was the first biography of Lincoln (it has since been determined that there was an earlier biography from which Scripps drew material).
The Chicago Tribune of September 5, 1900 said, "...collectors have sought eagerly for the original, of which only three copies are now known to be in existence." Others have since turned up.
The Chicago Post of September 8, 1900 said "all collectors of Lincolniana are forever indebted for the valuable reprint."
Total cost of producing and binding all copies of the book was $875.88