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Herman Melville: A Handsome Copy of The First American Edition of Moby-Dick; or, The Whale. By Herman Melville, Author o...
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Sold on Oct 26, 2007 for:
$17,925.00
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Description
A Rare Chance to Own a Genuine American Literary Treasure
Herman Melville: A Handsome Copy of The First American Edition of Moby-Dick; or, The Whale. By Herman Melville, Author of "Typee," "Omoo," "Mardi," "White-Jacket." (New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1851). First American edition (Previously published the same year in London as a triple-decker under the title: The Whale. Twelvemo (7.25" x 5"). Xxiii, [1, blank], 634, [1, epilogue], [1, blank], [6, publisher's ads], [2, blank] pages. Publisher's original brown cloth, stamped in blind on the boards with a heavy rule frame and the publisher's circular device at center, and lettered in gilt on the spine. Original brown-orange coated endpapers. Double flyleaves at front and back. Binding professionally repaired at the spine, having been re-backed with portions of the original spine preserved. Gilt lettering is renewed at the top of the spine. Light to moderate scattered foxing, rear hinge cracked by still very sound, else a very good, attractive copy of this classic of American literature. Housed in a custom black felt-lined quarter morocco clamshell case by Asprey & Gerrard, with the spine in five compartments with four raised bands, and tooled and lettered in gilt. Melville's now-classic novel, Moby Dick, was initially misunderstood by critics and ignored by readers and as such was a publishing failure. A fire at Melville's publisher Harpers in 1853 destroyed the plates of his books and most of the copies remaining in stock, with only about sixty copies surviving the fire. "The publishers used as their text Melville's original manuscript. The Whale, as issued in London, was set from New York Sheets, with Melville's alterations." (-Bibliography of American Literature). "This book was expurgated for publication in England, the American text containing thirty-five passages not included in Bentley's edition." (-Sadleir, Excursions in VictoAuction Info
2007 October Grand Format Rare Books & Manuscripts Auction #675 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
October, 2007
25th-26th
Thursday-Friday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 2
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
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19.5% of the successful bid per lot.
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