Herman Melville

A finely bound second edition of Moby Dick by Herman Melville.

• Herman Melville (American).
• New York: United States Book Company, 1892.
• 545 pages, complete with the half title.
• Bound in full blue-gray morocco, raised bands, gilt lettered and decorated spine, repeating onlay whales along the edge of both covers and spine, marbled pastedowns and endpapers, text uncut as issued, housed in a geometric chevron stitched fabric clamshell slipcase, two triangle gilt lettered spine labels, bound by Jamie Kamph.

The true first edition was published by Harper and Brothers in 1851. This second edition was published in an edition of 1,787 copies. The United States Book Company subsequently went out of business at the beginning of 1893. The next editions were printed in Boston by Dana Estes.

Jamie Kamph was a writer, book collector, and publisher before being inspired by Deborah Evetts to study bookbinding with Hope Weil in New York City in 1973. In 1976, she established Stonehouse Bindery at her farm in Lambertville, New Jersey. Kamph has continued to work as a book conservator and designer binder while pursuing a serious interest in the history of bookbinding. Jamie Kamph was a writer, book collector, and publisher before being inspired by Deborah Evetts to study bookbinding with Hope Weil in New York City in 1973. In 1976, she established Stonehouse Bindery at her farm in Lambertville, New Jersey. Kamph has continued to work as a book conservator and designer binder while pursuing a serious interest in the history of bookbinding. Her design bindings are housed in private collections and institutions worldwide including Princeton University, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Pierpont Morgan Library, the New York Public Library, and the Bridwell Library at the University of Texas. Many of her other bindings have been widely exhibited in such places as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Grolier Club, Yale University, and the Aspen Art Institute. In 2003, she was awarded the Helen Ward DeGolyer Award for American Bookbinding.