THOREAU, HENRY DAVID. WALDEN: OR, LIFE IN THE WOODS. BOSTON: 1854. FIRST EDITION

8vo. Wood-engraved vignette of Thoreau's hut after a sketch by his sister Sophia, lithographed plan of Walden Pond, 8pp. of publisher's advertisements at the end dated April, 1854; one or two stray spots, occasional offsetting. Original brown cloth ruled and decorated in blind, spine gilt lettered; minor soiling, minor fraying to head and tail of spine. In quarter brown morocco slipcase and chemise, spine gilt lettered. 

Borst A2.1.a BAL 20106

Grolier American 63

8vo. Wood-engraved vignette of Thoreau's hut after a sketch by his sister Sophia, lithographed plan of Walden Pond, 8pp. of publisher's advertisements at the end dated April, 1854; one or two stray spots, occasional offsetting. Original brown cloth ruled and decorated in blind, spine gilt lettered; minor soiling, minor fraying to head and tail of spine. In quarter brown morocco slipcase and chemise, spine gilt lettered.
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 Thoreau’s great work, a cornerstone of American transcendentalism. In Dead Poet Society (Touchstone, 1989), Thoreau was one of the writers that Williams' character, Mr. Keating, quoted to his students as he inspired them to lead lives marked by individualism and self-reliance, tenets at the heart of the transcendentalist movement. It is also Thoreau's famous lines from Walden that are read out as the Dead Poet Society convenes: "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."