Thoreau, Henry David

8vo. Publisher's blind-stamped brown cloth, gilt spine title and ads dated May bound in at rear; gilt bright, cloth unrubbed and glossy, a short closed tear in the seam of upper joint and some tiny closed tears to cloth at spine ends, else a particularly pleasing copy, tight and unfoxed. Cloth case.

Frederick Kirkland (bookplate); George William Curtis (signature on flyleaf).. 

see cataloguing
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

First edition of the the greatest of all "self-help" books, George William Curtis's copy. "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."

A meaningful provenance; Curtis was a noted Transcendentalist, living at the communal Brook Farm and later a prolific writer and editor for Harper's. President Grant appointed him to reform the Civil Service. Copies of Walden with any notable contemporary ownership have become rather uncommon on the market.