Moby Dick or The White Whale
by Herman Melville
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Very good tight copy with a little wear to edges of boards, minor bumping to corners, with moderate bumping to front right botto/none issued
- Seller
-
Portland, Dorset, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Extended Description and Notes
Early edition of the American classic, Moby Dick.
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 White Whale
Reviews
Why would this be 600 since the original was in 1851?
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- The Real Book Shop (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- md1
- Title
- Moby Dick or The White Whale
- Author
- Herman Melville
- Illustrator
- A. Burnham Shute
- Book Condition
- Used - Very good tight copy with a little wear to edges of boards, minor bumping to corners, with moderate bumping to front right botto
- Jacket Condition
- none issued
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- 1st UK Putnam's Sons edition
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- G. P .Putnam's Sons, London
- Place of Publication
- London
- Date Published
- c. 1901
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
- Keywords
- Moby Dick early editions
- Bookseller catalogs
- Antiquarian and Collectable;
- Size
- 8vo
Terms of Sale
The Real Book Shop
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. Books can only be returned within 14 days for any other reason, and must be returned in the condition in which they were received (eg. new means new and unread).
About the Seller
The Real Book Shop
About The Real Book Shop
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
Frequently asked questions
Also Recommended
-
Save 10% on every purchase!
Join the Bibliophiles’ Club and start saving 10% on every book.
$29.95 / Year