A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers.
Boston and Cambridge : James Munroe and Company; George P. Putnam, New York; Lindsay and Blackiston, Philadelphia; John Chapman, London, 1849 Stock Code: 144727
His first book, in original cloth
First edition of Thoreau's first book. Thoreau published at his own expense an edition of 1,000 copies: less than 300 sold, and in 1853 the remainder was returned to him - 256 bound up and 450 in sheets - prompting his rueful journal entry: "I have now a library of nearly 900 volumes, over 700 of which I wrote myself."The advert leaf advises that "Will soon be published, Walden or Life in the Woods", but due to the commercial failure of his first work it was not until 1854 that the latter was finally published by Ticknor and Fields.
Description
Duodecimo in sixes. Original brown cloth (BAL binding variant T, trade binding), title gilt to spine with blind rules forming compartments filled with arabesques in blind, blind panels to boards, buff endpapers.
Condition
Library stamp of a Swedish seminary to front pastedown, neat deaccession stamps to front pastedown and title. Spine ends a little crumpled, with the publisher's name at foot slightly affected as usual, short superficial split at foot of front joint, cloth just worn through to tips of front board, the cloth generally bright and fresh, internally fine, gatherings partly unopened, appears unread.
Bibliography
Allen, p. 1; BAL 20104; Borst A1.1.a; Howes T220.
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