7068

Herman Melville Autograph Letter Signed

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:NA Estimated At:12,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD
Herman Melville Autograph Letter Signed

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Auction Date:2017 Oct 26 @ 18:00 (UTC-5 : EST/CDT)
Location:236 Commercial St., Suite 100, Boston, Massachusetts, 02109, United States
ALS - Autograph Letter Signed
ANS - Autograph Note Signed
AQS - Autograph Quotation Signed
AMQS - Autograph Musical Quotation Signed
DS - Document Signed
FDC - First Day Cover
Inscribed - “Personalized”
ISP - Inscribed Signed Photograph
LS - Letter Signed
SP - Signed Photograph
TLS - Typed Letter Signed
Rare ALS signed “H. Melville,” one page, 5 x 7.5, August 26, no year [likely circa 1855]. Written from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, a letter to Osmond Tiffany, in full: “With pleasure I comply with your request, but hardly think that any letter will further your object; still if the accompanying one can be made of the least service, I shall be happy. Wishing you all success in your affairs.” In fine condition. Osmond Tiffany was a Baltimore merchant and sometime writer who contributed to periodicals such as the Knickerbocker Magazine and Atlantic Monthly. In 1855 he wrote to multiple authors, including Washington Irving, seeking assistance in finding a publisher for a book entitled Brandon; or, A Hundred Years Ago. On the basis of a known response from Irving dated December 15, 1855, the scholarly edition of Melville's Correspondence, edited by Lynn Horth, tentatively dated this letter to 1855. It was certainly written during Melville's most productive period, during which he and his family resided at Arrowhead, a farmhouse and inn located in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He lived, farmed, and wrote at the Arrowhead property for thirteen years, beginning in 1850, creating acclaimed works such as Moby-Dick, The Confidence-Man, and Israel Potter. Letters from Melville are of the utmost scarcity and desirability.