Germany, Imperial. A Donation Book from the Citizens of Krefeld, with Letter, for Otto von Bismarck’s 70th Birthday

(Krefeld Ehrengabe). A unique commemorative book, constructed of a heavy card stock binding with a brown velvet exterior liner, the cover bearing an embossed and gilded inscription of “DEM FÜRSTEN REICHSKANZLER VON BEWOHNERN DER STADT CREFELD” (“TO THE PRINCE CHANCELLOR FROM THE CITIZENS OF THE CITY OF CREFELD”), situated within an embroidered and silvered border, the interior featuring non-paginated interior pages, opening with an elaborate dedication to Otto von Bismarck from the citizens of Crefeld (now Krefeld), followed by a poem by Krefeld resident Bertha Senotine Matthias-Tendering composed on 22 March 1885, followed by an exhaustive handwritten list of Krefeld citizens who have made charitable donations to a drive in honour of von Bismarck’s birthday, accompanied by a handwritten letter to the Chancellor from the poet’s husband, Friedrich Julius Matthias, dated 28 March 1885, requesting that the donations be forwarded to the “Berliner Central-Comite”, the book measuring 22 cm (w) x 33 cm (h), demonstrating age-appropriate deterioration to the cover border, a unique dedicated memento from the birthday celebrations of a key figure in the history and unification of Germany in near extremely fine condition.