Hawthorne, Nathaniel | The Slater-de Berkeley Parsons copy of Hawthorne's second book

Property from the Workman Collection

Hawthorne, Nathaniel 

Twice–Told Tales. Boston: American Stationers Co. John B. Russell, 1837

8vo (195 x 120 mm). 4pp. publisher’s advertisements at front and 16pp. at rear, with the page number on the table of contents for "The May-Pole of Merry Mount" incorrectly given as p. 78 for p. 77, exceptionally bright internally. Publisher's blue textured cloth (not noted in BAL), spine gilt-lettered; very faint sunning to spine. Housed in custom clamshell case.

First edition, the Slater-de Berkeley Parsons copy, of Hawthorne's second book, and the first to bear his name on the title-page. One of 1,000 copies.

The present tales had previously been published in periodicals (hence the name), and were collected here for the first time. Of Twice-Told Tales, Edgar Allan Poe once noted: "They belong to the highest region of Art — an Art subservient to genius of a very lofty order, the style is purity itself. Force abounds."

A fine copy with distinguished provenance.

REFERENCE:

BAL 7581 (not noting this blue cloth binding); Clark A2.1

PROVENANCE:

Elizabeth Bowditch (contemporary gift inscription to front free endpaper) — Dr. Gerald E. Slater (his sale, Christie's New York, 12 February 1982, lot 340) — Katharine de Berkeley Parsons (her sale, Sotheby's Parke Bernet, 6 October 1976, lot 102)