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"I hardly think that any letter will further your object; still, if the accompanying one can be made of the least service, I shall be happy": Rare autograph letter signed by Great American Author Herman Melville
MELVILLE, HERMAN.
Herman Melville Autograph Letter Signed.
: c. 1855.
Rare autograph letter signed and entirely in the hand of great American novelist Herman Melville. One page, the letter reads in full, “Pittsfield Aug 26 Osmond Tiffany Esq. My dear Sir, With pleasure I comply with your request, but hardly think that any letter will further your object; still, if the accompanying one can be made of the least service, I shall be happy. Wishing you all success in your affairs I am Very Truly Yours H Melville.” The recipient, Osmond Tiffany was a Baltimore merchant and occasional author who contributed to the Atlantic Monthly and The Knickerbocker. In 1855, he reached out to several authors including Washington Irving, seeking assistance in finding a publisher for his novel, Brandon; or, A Hundred Years Ago. Based on Irving’s response dated December 15, 1855, Melville’s letter was likely written in that same year. Tiffany’s work, set during the French and Indian War, was published in New York by Stanford & Delisser in 1858. In fine condition. Housed in a custom half morocco and folding chemise slipcase.
Price: $18,500.00 Item Number: 138591
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First edition of Herman Melville's first and most popular book Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life During a Four Months' Residence in A Valley of the Marquesas
MELVILLE, HERMAN.
Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life. During a Four Months’ Residence in A Valley of the Marquesas.
New York: Wiley and Putnam 1846.
First edition of Melville’s first book and his most popular during his lifetime. Octavo, two volumes bound into one in the original cloth stamped in blind with gilt titles to the spine, frontispiece map, both half-titles and 6 pages of publisher’s advertisements at rear. BAL 13653. In very good condition, bookplate to the front pastedown. Housed in a custom full clamshell slipcase.
Price: $6,500.00 Item Number: 144151
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Exceptionally rare First edition of Herman Melville's first and most popular book Typee A Peep at Polynesian Life During a Four Months' Residence in A Valley of the Marquesas; inscribed by him to Captain Charles Ball
MELVILLE, HERMAN.
Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life. During a Four Months’ Residence in A Valley of the Marquesas.
New York: Wiley and Putnam 1846.
First edition of Melville’s first book and his most popular during his lifetime. Octavo, two volumes bound into one in the original cloth stamped in blind with gilt titles to the spine, frontispiece map, both half-titles and 6 pages of publisher’s advertisements at rear. BAL 13653. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper one month after publication, “Captain Ball, With the respects of the author, Westport April 18th 1846.” The recipient, Captain Charles Ball was captain of the whaling ship Theophilus Chase, on which Thomas Melville, the author’s youngest brother, set sail for the first time at the age of sixteen. Thomas’s decision to follow in his older brother’s footsteps was likely due to hearing Herman’s stories of his time at sea which began in 1841 with his voyage aboard the whaling ship the Acushnet. Thomas set sail aboard the Theophilus Chase on March, 18 1846 for the South Atlantic from Westport but was homeward bound by April, at which point Herman apparently visited Westport and inscribed this copy of Typee, just one month after its American publication on March 17th. In very good condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Books inscribed by Melville are scarce.
Price: $250,000.00 Item Number: 138349
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First Edition of Herman Melville's Omoo
MELVILLE, HERMAN .
Omoo.
London: John Murray 1847.
First British edition, which precedes the American edition of this classic Melville work Omoo. Octavo, original cloth. In very good condition, bookplate to the front pastedown. BAL 13656. Uncommon in the original cloth.
Price: $2,800.00 Item Number: 144152
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First Edition of Herman Melville's Omoo
MELVILLE, HERMAN .
Omoo.
New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers 1847.
First edition of this classic Melville work. Octavo, original cloth. In very good condition. Housed in a custom half morocco chemise slipcase. BAL 13656. A sharp example.
Price: $4,000.00 Item Number: 144159
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Martin-Manney copy of Herman Melville's Omoo; in the rare original wrappers
MELVILLE, HERMAN .
Omoo.
New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers 1847.
First edition of this classic Melville work Omoo, the Martin-Manney copy in the rare original wrappers. Octavo, two volumes, original wrappers. Volume 1 with half-title, title-page printed in black and red, and frontispiece map of the Marquesas and Tahiti. Volume 2 with advertisements at rear paginated [xv]-xxiii, [1]-16 (light staining to prelims, lower corner clipped from endpaper in volume 2). Original printed wrappers (wrappers darkened and rubbed; part 1 backstrip restored with part of title in facsimile; part 2 with abrasion to rear cover deleting some of the text). Provenance: “Appleton” (ownership inscription to inside front cover of part II) H. Bradley Martin (his sale, Sotheby’s New York, 30 January 1990, lot 2145); Richard Manney (his sale, Sotheby’s New York, 11 October 1991, lot 223). Housed in a custom clamshell box. Rare with RBH records only two other copies selling at auction. BAL 13656.
Price: $17,500.00 Item Number: 142411
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“For the scene of suffering is a scene of joy when the suffering is past; and the silent reminiscence of hardships departed is sweeter than the presence of delight": Herman Melville's Redburn
MELVILLE, HERMAN.
Redburn.
New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers 1849.
First edition, second printing of this classic work with the extended publisher’s advertisements at end. Octavo, original plum cloth stamped in blind, spine gilt, yellow endpapers. In very good condition, bookplate.
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 144187
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Rare First Edition of Herman Melville's White Jacket; or the World in a Man-Of-War
MELVILLE, HERMAN.
White Jacket; or the World in a Man-Of-War.
New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers 1850.
First edition, first printing with 6pp. of publisher’s advertisements, brown cloth with Harper and Brothers New York stamped at center. In very good condition, previous ownership inscription, bookplates.
Price: $2,800.00 Item Number: 144154
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"It is not down on any map; true places never are": Rare First Edition Of Herman Melville's Moby Dick
MELVILLE, HERMAN.
Moby Dick; Or, The Whale.
New York: Harper & Brothers 1851.
First edition, first issue binding, with the circular Harper’s device of Melville’s masterpiece. Octavo, original purple-brown cloth (BAL’s A grain), covers stamped in blind with the publisher’s circular device at the center within a heavy blind rule frame, original orange-coated endpapers. Of the 2,951 copies printed, 125 were review copies. About 1,500 sold in 11 days, but then sales slowed to less than 300 the next year. After two years copies of the first edition were still available, and almost 300 were destroyed in the 1853 fire of Harper’s warehouse. In near fine condition with some of the usual light foxing and light shelfwear to the spine tips. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A completely unrestored example of this cornerstone. A superior example.
Price: $65,000.00 Item Number: 99735
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"IT IS NOT DOWN ON ANY MAP; TRUE PLACES NEVER ARE": FIRST EDITION OF HERMAN MELVILLE'S MOBY DICK; in the rare red variant cloth
MELVILLE, HERMAN.
Moby-Dick; Or, The Whale.
New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers 1851.
First edition, first issue binding of Melville’s masterpiece. Octavo, original red variant cloth (BAL’s A grain), covers stamped in blind with Harper’s circular device at the center of the front panel within a heavy blind ruled frame, plain white endpapers. Issued in a single volume, in black, green, blue, red, purple, slate or brown cloth, gilt. The first state of the binding has a circular device at center of covers that is absent from the second state binding. Much has been made of whether the earliest copies bound should have orange-coated end papers, but in fact there is no priority between copies with orange, dark orange, maroon veined in gold, or marbled end papers. Of uncertain status are three copies that have been seen with plain white end papers, and a copy seen with yellow-coated end papers. Copies in bindings with beaded rope-like designs or Grolier-esque strapwork borders are very likely copies that survived Harper’s terrible fire of December 10, 1853, which destroyed 287 copies (212 were still unbound, in sheets). The first printing by Harper’s in 1851 numbered 2915 copies, approximately 300 copies were destroyed in a warehouse fire in 1853 and as late as 1854 copies of the first edition were still available from the publisher. A second printing of 250 copies was issued in 1855, and in 1863 the third printing of 253 copies was issued. In very good condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Rare and desirable, completely unrestored and in the rare variant publisher’s red cloth.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 142813