Peter Parley's Universal History, on the Basis of Geography [Association copy - from the library of family of Samuel Griswold Goodrich]; For the Use of Families. Illustrated by Maps and Engravings. Volumes I and II [complete] by Parley, Peter [Hawthorne, Nathaniel] - 1837

Boston: American Stationers' Company, John B. Russell, 1837. First Edition. Hardcover. Very good. First edition, second printing, two vols., octavo size, 380 pp.; 374 pp., illustrated. "Peter Parley's Universal History" and the earlier "Tales of Peter Parley" published by Goodrich, were designed to instruct children in basic geography. The series became so popular that Goodrich hired other writers such as Nathaniel Hawthorne to edit and prepare drafts, by the mid-1830s Peter Parley was a household name. This edition was edited by Hawthorne and his sister Elizabeth, "[t]he work in two volumes was deposited for copyright 29 July 1837. Hawthorne wrote his sister Elizabeth (12 May 1836), 'Our pay as Historians of the Universe, will be 100 dollars, the whole of which you may have.' "

This is the second printing of the first edition, with the volume numbers printed on the first page of each gathering. This copy is inscribed to George Lowell from his Aunt C. Gardner, likely Catherine Gardner, both being of the Lowell family, one of the famous elite Boston Brahmin families. Additionally, this copy was a gift to the Cotuit Library by the children of Alice Lowell Ropes and James Hardy Ropes, Alice being the granddaughter of Samuel Griswold Goodrich, the original publisher of the Peter Parley books. Alice's father Edward Lowell was the brother of George Lowell, to whom this copy is inscribed.

___DESCRIPTION: Original rebacked brown publishers' cloth with embossed floral pattern and gilt-stamped lyre to both boards, backstrip lettered in gilt with Parley figure at the base, yellow endpapers, with wood engraved illustrations and maps, title-vignette, and second illustrated title-page, white wove paper; octavo size (title pages measure 5" by 6.5"), pagination: Volume I: [i-vii] vii [i] ii-vii [viii] [9] 10-380; Volume II: [i-vii] viii-xii [13] 14-374. Bookplate of the Cotuit Library stating the books were the gift of the children of Alice Lowell Ropes and James Hardy Ropes (proper deaccession confirmed) inlaid to first pastedown of both volumes, gift inscription to George Lowell (as referred to above) to the first endpaper in ink to both volumes.

___CONDITION: A very good copy with remarkable provenance, internally bright with no tears or damp stains, rebacking has been done professionally and preserved the original backstrips and publishers cloth, the upper hinge to volume one is loose, faint foxing, corners bumped, overall for such a scarce book that was often handled roughly by children, this is a very clean copy; very good.

___CITATIONS: Clark A3.1.b; BAL 7582; Loker, 27.

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