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Moby Dick; or, The Whale; [Introduction by Clifton Fadiman and Illustrations by Boardman Robinson]
by Melville, Herman
- Used
- very good
- first
- Condition
- Very Good
- Seller
-
Sebastopol, California, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: The Heritage Press, 1943. First Edition. Slipcased. Very Good. Boardman Robinson. with book note [9.75x7in]; xxi, 615 pp., 29 illustrations by Robinson; Green cloth covers with gilt lettering in red field bordered with wave design on spine and front, top edge stained red, all edges trimmed; Mottled beige paper on stiff board slip case; Minor shelf wear to edges, corners and spine top and bottom; Some shelf wear and rubbing to slip case. Overall condition is Very Good.
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. -
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
- David Spilman Fine Books, ABAA & IOBA
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 13220
- Title
- Moby Dick; or, The Whale; [Introduction by Clifton Fadiman and Illustrations by Boardman Robinson]
- Author
- Melville, Herman
- Illustrator
- Boardman Robinson
- Format/Binding
- Slipcased
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- Publisher
- The Heritage Press
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1943
- Bookseller catalogs
- This & That;
Terms of Sale
David Spilman Fine Books, ABAA & IOBA
All items offered online or in catalogues are subject to prior sale. Trade discount for most items is available and may be limited for consignment items. We will also accept checks that are cleared prior to shipping or invoice clients known to us. 30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives or damaged or not as described. Buyer will be responsible for return shipping, unless item is not as described
About the Seller
David Spilman Fine Books, ABAA & IOBA
Biblio member since 2018
Sebastopol, California
About David Spilman Fine Books, ABAA & IOBA
David Spilman Fine Books, ABAA & IOBA is an online bookseller specializing in fine books, maps, publications, and ephemera related to Exploration, Adventure and World History with a focus on the Polar Regions, California and the American West. A particular interest is in the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration from 1895 to 1920's. Other areas of interest are in the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, and a little bit of this and that.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- 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...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Slip Case
- A protective sleeve, often made of decorative cardboard or leather which houses a book. It is open on one end, so as to allow...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- Shelf Wear
- Shelf wear (shelfwear) describes damage caused over time to a book by placing and removing a book from a shelf. This damage is...
- Rubbing
- Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
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