- 112
Melville, Herman.
Estimate
3,000 - 5,000 USD
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Description
- Mardi: and a Voyage Thither. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1849
- printed book
8vo (188 x 127mm.), 2 volumes, first American edition, 8-page publisher's advertisements at end, spine gilt-lettered and decorated, spine and covers elaborately decorated in blind, yellow-coated endpapers, brown half morocco gilt slipcase and matching chemise, light foxing, minor wear and rubbing to binding
Provenance
Roger Stewart (?), faint signature on front free endpaper and title-page of vol. 1; Annie M. Field, signature in pencil on title-page
Literature
BAL 13658; Davis and Gilman 70; Sadleir, Excursions 225
Condition
Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
First American edition, which appeared shortly after Bentley's London edition. In a letter to John Murray dated 25 March 1848, which he wrote while arranging for the publication of the English edition, Melville described Mardi: "The work I shall next publish will in downright earnest [be] a 'Romance of Polynesian Adventure'... the reiterated imputation of being a romancer in disguise has at last pricked me into a resolution to show those who may take any interest in the matter, that a real romance of mine is no Typee or Omoo, & is made of different stuff altogether. It is no dish water nor its model borrowed from the Circulating Library" (Davis and Gilman).