The Book Hunter, Etc [Book-Hunter]

New York: Sheldon and Company, 1863. A gorgeous copy. SEE PHOTOS Beautifully bound with brown leather spine and corners over marbled paper-covered boards. The binding is in Fine condition (only very lightly rubbed) The spine has five raised bands and 6 compartments brightly gilt tooled/lettered and with numerous black rules/decorations. Two dark brown leather spine labels. Handsome marbled endpapers. Matching marbled page edges. SEE PHOTOS. Internally FINE. Pages are crisp, clean and unmarked. NO foxing. Brief gift inscription on a blank preliminary page. This edition is the first to add additional notes by Richard Grant White (1822-1885), including identification of some book hunters who were originally given pseudonymns -- such as "Thomas Papaverius" for Thomas De Quincey who, according to Burton, was "a robber, ravisher, and a destroyer of books... rather than a collector." This edition is the first to have an Index (by F. F. Heard, pp. 407 - 411). From the front matter: "This book owes its existence to a concurrence of accidents. The author had the honour of contributing to Blackwood's Magazine some sketches of the ways of book-collectors, scholars, literary investigators, desultory readers, and other persons whose pursuits revolve round books and literature." Webber p. 42. Hart 189.. First American Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine condition. Illus. by [FINE LEATHER BINDING]. xii, 411pp. Great Packaging, Fast Shipping.