Salmagundi: or the Whim-Whams and Opinions of Launcelot Langstaff, ESQ. And Others.

New York: David Longworth, 1807. First Edition of All Parts, With the Rare First State of Part I.

[IRVING, WASHINGTON] Salmagundi; or the Whim-Whams and Opinions of Launcelot Langstaff, ESQ. And Others. New York: David Longworth, 1807-1808.

First edition of all 20 parts of Salmagundi, bound together in two small octavo volumes (5 5/8 x 3 1/2 inches; 143 x 90 mm). With the rare first edition, first state of part I, with "Dress he!" and other parts in mixed first edition states as usual. With the frontispiece portrait in the first state without caption. With BAL title-page B in volume I and BAL title-page A in volume II, according to BAL "No sequence has been determined" for the title-pages.

All parts have been collated against BAL and match as follows: Part 1- Rare first state with "Dress he!" On page 20. Part 2- Matches BAL, no states noted. Part 3- First printing, with early printing notice, and last words on pg 39 "conversation with the" Part 4- With signature mark A4 (unknown sequence) and in second state of text. Part 5- Third state. Part 6- Matches BAL, no states noted. With Setting B, state A of leaf B ("leaf B was printed from two settings. It is presumed that these were used simultaneously." BAL). Part 7- Second state Part 8- Mixed state, with leaves in both first and second states. Part 9- Matches BAL, no states noted. Part 10- First state, with "published" spelled incorrectly as "Publised" Part 11- With page 207 ending in the first state manner with "slang," but with page 214 in BAL Second (?) State. Part 12- Matches BAL, no states noted. Part 13- First edition with "XIII" and not "13" on date line. Part 14- First edition with signature marks A and B, not G and H. Part 15- First state, with no imprint. Part 16- First state. With signature marks A, not K and L. Part 17- Second state. Part 18- First state. Part 19- Matches BAL, no states noted. Part 20- First state. Title-pages- With BAL title-page B in volume I and BAL title-page A in volume II, according to BAL "No sequence has been determined" Frontispiece portrait- 1st state, no caption.

Uniformly bound by Stikeman in full tan Morocco. Boards double ruled in gilt. Spines stamped and lettered in gilt. Gilt dentelles. Top edges gilt. Some minor rubbing along outer joints. With a repair to corner of Part 1, page 5, not affecting text. Small marginal repair to page 141, not affecting text. Volume II with a small repair to inner margin of page 263, affecting some text. Page 281 with a small repair, just barely touching text. A few pages shorter with bottom margin untrimmed. A few instances of small stains to a few leaves, but otherwise a very good set. Housed in a custom cloth clamshell, with black leather label.

Notoriously difficult bibliographically, BAL notes "the final collation of Salmagundi has not been achieved.' The present set was touted as "A Perfect Copy of the First Edition" on a laid-in slip, the lot number on the slip corresponding to a penciled note on the verso of the front free endpaper reporting this the [William D.] Breaker copy, sold [at Rains Galleries, Brooklyn] on November 27, 1935, lot 378.

"Satirical essays and poems, published in 20 periodical pamphlets (Jan. 24, 1807-Jan. 25, 1808), by Washington and William Irving and J. K. Paulding, who used such pseudonyms as Anthony Evergreen, Jeremy Cockloft the Younger, Will Wizard, and Pindar Cockloft, Esq. The work was collected in book form (1808). Modeled on the Spectator, these whimsical pieces travesty contemporary New York's tastes, society, and politics, showing the authors' aristocratic Federalism. The "letters" of the visiting Mustapha-Rub-a-Dub Keli Khan to Asem Haachem satirically describe "mobocratic" and "logocratic" Jeffersonian democracy, while other essays and poems deal in a humorous, pseudo-learned style with such various topics as fashions in women's clothing, the vulgarity of parvenus, theatrical and musical criticism, style in literature, and caricatures of celebrities. A second series of Salmagundi papers was written by Paulding alone (May 1819-Sept. 1820)." (Oxford Reference)

It was in the November 11, 1807 issue that Irving first attached the name "Gotham" to New York City. [Burrows, Edwin G. and Mike Wallace. "Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898". (Oxford University Press, 1999), 417.

BAL 10097.

HBS 68529.

$3,500.