2 volumes. xxx, 710; xxx, 906 pp. (8vo) 9¼x6¼, original green cloth, spines lettered in gilt, facsimile signature in gilt on front covers, top edges gilt, other edge untrimmed. First Trade Edition.

Signed by the author on both title pages and with lengthy inscriptions by Jordan on front endpapers.

Educator, marine biologist, environmentalist and peace activist David
Starr Jordan was a giant in the realm of education. Graduating in the pioneer class of Cornell University, he became the youngest president of a university at age 34 at Indiana University. In 1891, he was approached by Leland and Jane Stanford who offered him the presidency of their new California University about to open. He remained the president until 1913 and then was Chancellor until his retirement in 1916. In addition to his work as Stanford president, Jordan was known for being a peace activist. He argued that war was detrimental to the human species. He later became president of World Peace Conference in 1915 and opposed US involvement in World War I. He was also a member of the Sierra Club board in its formative years. Jordan was known to be committed the humanities although trained as a scientist. This is reflected in his autobiography by his philosophical inscriptions written in the two volumes over his signature. Jordan published numerous books from 1876 to 1917 on a variety of subjects such as “The Value of Higher Education,” “The Fishes of Samoa,” “War and Waste,” “California and Californians,” “The Strength of Being Morally Clean.”