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Moby Dick or the Whale
by Herman Melville
- Used
- Condition
- In very good condition. Fully-bound in richly black leather with raised bands and gilt lettering on spine and covers. All Edges/no dj as issued
- Seller
-
Nashua, New Hampshire, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Easton Press, Norwalk Connecticut, 1977. Easton Press, 1977, The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written: Collect. Fully-bound in richly black leather with raised bands and gilt lettering on spine and covers. In very good condition. Fully-bound in richly black leather with raised bands and gilt lettering on spine and covers. All Edges/no dj as issued. Moby-Dick; or, The Whale is a novel by American writer Herman Melville, published in 1851 during the period of the American Renaissance Sailor Ishmael tells the story of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaler the Pequod, for revenge on Moby Dick, the white whale which on the previous whaling voyage destroyed his ship and severed his leg at the knee. Easton Press, 1977, The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written: Collector's Edition. In very good condition. Fully-bound in richly black leather with raised bands and gilt lettering on spine and covers. All Edges Gilt. Green Silk Endpapers. Blue Silk Ribbon Bookmark. , Accented in 22kt gold, printed on archival paper. Smyth sewing & concealed muslin joints. Illustrations by Boardman Robinson. Owner's ex Libris on front endpaper. Very slight rubbing of gilt lettering to top, front cover.
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 or the Whale
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
- YJS BOXES OF BOOKS
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- biblio607
- Title
- Moby Dick or the Whale
- Author
- Herman Melville
- Format/Binding
- Fully-bound in richly black leather with raised bands and gilt lettering on spine and covers
- Book Condition
- Used - In very good condition. Fully-bound in richly black leather with raised bands and gilt lettering on spine and covers. All Edges
- Jacket Condition
- no dj as issued
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- Easton Press, 1977, The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written: Collect
- Publisher
- Easton Press, Norwalk Connecticut
- Date Published
- 1977
- Keywords
- bib bc web bcase #310 #biblio607
- Bookseller catalogs
- Classics; Christmas Catalog; EASTON PRESS COLLECTION;
Terms of Sale
YJS BOXES OF BOOKS
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
YJS BOXES OF BOOKS
Biblio member since 2015
Nashua, New Hampshire
About YJS BOXES OF BOOKS
Our inventory offers a wide variety of interests: Rare and beautiful books, vintage as well as modern mysteries, thrillers, poetry, histories of people, places and things, all areas of politics, and curiosities ......
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Terms of sale for YJS BOXES OF BOOKS
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives improperly or damaged.
YJS BOXES OF BOOKS specializes in Autobiographies and Biographies of the Rich and Famous, First and Signed First Editions, Historical: Non-Fiction and Fiction, People, Places and Things, Modern Mysteries and Thrillers, Rare and Vintage
If more information is needed about any of our books, please do not hesitate to call or e-mail. We will get back to you in a timely manner.
Terms of sale for YJS BOXES OF BOOKS
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives improperly or damaged.
YJS BOXES OF BOOKS specializes in Autobiographies and Biographies of the Rich and Famous, First and Signed First Editions, Historical: Non-Fiction and Fiction, People, Places and Things, Modern Mysteries and Thrillers, Rare and Vintage
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Raised Band(s)
- Raised bands refer to the ridges that protrude slightly from the spine on leather bound books. The bands are created in the...
- 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...
- 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...
- 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....
- Rubbing
- Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
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