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MOBY DICK

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MOBY DICK

by MELVILLE, Herman

  • Used
  • Hardcover
  • Signed
Condition
The leather is still supple with solid coloring. The spines are faded with some wear to the tips, and there's slight edgewear bu
Seller
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, United States
Item Price
NZ$2,111.50
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About This Item

[Brattleboro, VT]: Limited Editions Club, 1943. Hardcover. The leather is still supple with solid coloring. The spines are faded with some wear to the tips, and there's slight edgewear but much less than normally encountered. Very Good, lacking the slipcase. A better example than most copies offered for sale. Boardman Robinson. Two quarto volumes (7-1/2" x 10") bound in full dark sheepskin with gilt lettering on the spines. Copy #818 of 1000 with color and black-and-white plates after paintings by Boardman Robinson and SIGNED by the artist on the colophon page. One of the most difficult books of the press to obtain in decent condition because of the tendency of the leather to dry. When copies are seen, usually the binding is so dry it is crumbling. The limitation of 1000 copies is not stated, nor is the typical limitation of 1500 copies stated, but a letter from the publisher, George Macy, to a subscriber in another copy we handled explained the limitation (not included here). Note from the publisher, though not the Monthly Letter, laid in.

Synopsis

Melville's classic was first published in England as three volumes titled The Whale in October 1851. Slow sales of Melville's previously books convinced Publisher L. Richard Bentley to reduce the printing to only 500 copies, and of that, only 300 sold in the first 4 months. The remaining unbound sheets were bound in a cheaper casing in 1852, and in 1853 there were still enough remaining sheets to again bind into an even cheaper edition. Melville changed the title to Moby Dick a month later, November 1851, when the American Version was published in one volume by Harper & Brothers in NY. 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. Most of the first editions have orange end-papers, although there are 2 known volumes with rare white-endpapers. Because of Nineteenth-century printing practices, and the time-lapse between when the first-editions were published and Melville became collectible, oxidized paper, bumped and chipped spines, and brittle wrappers are all common for even the most expensive and collectible of these books, which can sell from $35,000 to $100,000. Also, expect heavy wear and maybe even minor repair. Another collectible edition is the 1930 first edition illustrated by Rockwell Kent, a three-volume set published by the Lakeside Press with acetate dust jackets in an aluminum slipcase. These range in value from $9,000 to $11,000. A total of 3,215 copies of Moby-Dick were sold during Melville's life (he died in 1891). Today, Moby-Dick is considered one of the greatest American novels. -

Read More: Identifying first editions of MOBY DICK

Reviews

On Mar 9 2016, a reader said:
Why would this be 600 since the original was in 1851?

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Details

Bookseller
Charles Agvent US (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #
018918
Title
MOBY DICK
Author
MELVILLE, Herman
Illustrator
Boardman Robinson
Format/Binding
Hardcover
Book Condition
Used - The leather is still supple with solid coloring. The spines are faded with some wear to the tips, and there's slight edgewear bu
Quantity Available
1
Publisher
Limited Editions Club
Place of Publication
[Brattleboro, VT]
Date Published
1943
Keywords
Signed, Nautical Fiction, Illustrated Books, Limited Editions Club, Fine Press, Boardman Robinson, Herman Melville
Bookseller catalogs
19th Century American Literature;

Terms of Sale

Charles Agvent

All books subject to prior sale. Payment with order; institutions may be billed. Postage additional: $11.00 for the first book, $6.00 each thereafter. Overseas postage billed at approximate cost. Pennsylvania residents must add 6% sales tax. Mastercard, Visa, and American Express accepted. We are also open to reasonable payment terms. A book may be returned within 7 days of receipt for any reason provided it is in the same condition as sent and prior notice is given. Please insure returns for their full value.

About the Seller

Charles Agvent

Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Biblio member since 2003
Fleetwood, Pennsylvania

About Charles Agvent

We carry a diverse and select stock with major specialties including Modern and 19th Century Literary First Editions, Signed Books & Autographs (especially Presidential and Literary), and Limited Editions Club books. We have been in business since 1987 and are proud to be members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA) and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB).

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Quarto
The term quarto is used to describe a page or book size. A printed sheet is made with four pages of text on each side, and the...
Colophon
The colophon contains information about a book's publisher, the typesetting, printer, and possibly even includes a printer's...
Gilt
The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...

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