MELVILLE, HERMAN | Moby-Dick; or, the Whale. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1851

Property from a Florida Collector

MELVILLE, HERMAN

Moby-Dick; or, the Whale. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1851

12mo. 6 pages of advertisements at end, orange endpapers; lighter intermittent foxing than often found, front hinge weakened with first signature detached; publisher's gilt and blind-stamped brown cloth; fraying to head of spine, bottom of spine with loss to cloth affecting rule and a few letters of the imprint, minor exposure of corners.

The first American edition of Melville's greatest achievement, this edition contains 35 passages and the "Epilogue" not present in the English first edition. It sold poorly and copies remained with the publisher. In 1853 a major fire destroyed the Harper & Brothers warehouse and with it some 297 copies of this volume; few, perhaps no more than 60 survived.

REFERENCES:        

BAL 13664; Grolier/American 60; Sadleir, Excursions 229