Emerson, Ralph Waldo | First editions, presentation copy

The Passion of American Collectors: Property of Barbara and Ira Lipman

Emerson, Ralph Waldo

Essays. First and Second Series

Essays: Second Series. Boston: James Monroe and Company,1844. 8vo. Scattered foxing and staining, most pronounced on flyleaves and first few text leaves, offsetting from paper placemark on pp. 54–55, light marginal age-darkening. Publisher's brown cloth blocked in blind (BAL Binding "A" in "T"—variant color brown not noted by Blanck), spine lettered gilt, yellow-coated endpapers; rebacked with spine laid down, small loss to top of front board and board edges recolored, minor loss of cloth to fore-edge of front board, a few splits to hinges. Brown marbled folding case, red morocco spine lettered gilt. BAL 5198; Grolier 100-47 — [With] Essays. Boston: James Monroe and Company, 1841. 8vo. Half-title; a few spots. Black morocco, covers ruled in gilt, spine gilt in six compartments, inside dentelles; a bit of rubbing, small loss to head-piece, front hinge starting. BAL 5189.

First editions, presentation copy of the Second Series

The Second Series is energetically inscribed by Emerson on the front free endpaper: "Joseph T. Buckingham | with Authors Respects." Buckingham was a Boston newspaper and magazine editor and publisher. In 1831, he founded the monthly New-England Magazine with his son Edwin, which was considered one of the few worthwhile literary journals in antebellum America. "Its life was short, covering only four and a half years, but it was published just at the beginning of the great New England regency in American literature, and its roll of contributors was a distinguished one" (Frank L. Mott, A History of American Magazines: 1741–1850, p. 599).

PROVENANCE

Second Series: Joseph T. Buckingham (presentation inscription from the author on the front free endpaper and pencil signature on the front pastedown) — Margaret S. Ball (signature on front free endpaper dated 1953)