LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2006 October Grand Format Autographs #629  / 

25748

Henry D. Thoreau: First Edition Concorn & Merr

Currency:USD Category:Books / Fiction Books Start Price:1,625.00 USD Estimated At:6,500.00 - 7,500.00 USD
Henry D. Thoreau: First Edition Concorn & Merr
<B>Henry D. Thoreau: <I>A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers</B></I>.</B></I> (Boston: James Munroe and Company, 1849), 413 pages, first edition, full calf, gold stamped lettering on spine and fine tooling on spine and cover; custom made slipcase and cover; features the bookplate of Carolyn Welles and the signature of Harriet P.K. Hale, March 21, 1860, 5" x 8". This book is an account of a boat trip Thoreau took in 1839. The work has been described as a finely crafted tapestry if travel writing, essays, and lyrical poetry. Alternating between observation and reflection, Thoreau interweaves day-by-day descriptions of natural phenomenon, the rural landscape, and local characters with digressions on literature and philosophy, the Native American and Puritan histories of New England, the Bhagavad-Gita, the imperfections of Christianity, and many other subjects. Critics call it an invaluable companion to <I>Walden,</B></I> it stands alone as one of the most remarkable literary achievements of the 19th century. Interestingly, the final page of the book is an advertisement for the upcoming publishing of <I>Walden</B></I>; it reads: "Will Soon Be Published, Walden, or Life In The Woods. By Henry David Thoreau." The book is in fine condition; minor restoration to the spine, not affecting the goldstamped type; corners slightly rubbed and worn; fully intact. A rare copy of the first edition of Thoreau's first book.
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