American Literature from Quercus Rare Books

Boston: James R. Osgood and Company, 1876. Part of the publisher's "Vest-Pocket Series of Standard and Popular Authors," in a small format that could be carried discretely indeed. Decorative brick-red cloth binding, stamped in black. Titling on the front cover in gilt. Clean text; 107 pages. Slighit wrinkling; spot on the rear cover.. First Thus. Decorative Cloth. Very Good (Plus)/No… Read more about this item

Boston: James R. Osgood and Company, 1877. Part of the publisher's "Vest-Pocket Series of Standard and Popular Authors," in a small format that could be carried discretely indeed. Decorative brick-red cloth binding, stamped in black. Titling on the front cover in gilt.Clean text; 96 pages.. First Thus. Decorative Cloth. Fine/No Jacket. 16mo - over 5¾" - 6¾" tall.

Zurich: The Limited Editions Club/Fretz Brothers, 1931. Here are Fine copies of an edition that is LIMITED to 1500 that are SIGNED by the artist, Carl Strauss. Two tan/brown tweed flexible cloth bindings with an orange spine label lettered in gilt; top-edge is gilt. Introduction by Herbert Gorman; illustrated with hand-coloured etchings by Strauss. Clean texts; 357 pages and 389… Read more about this item

Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin and Company, 1898. This is a Very Good (Plus) copy of the First Edition. Green cloth binding, decoratively stamped in black; titled in gilt on the spine and front cover. Clean text;417 pages. Frontis illustration and three others within by E. Boyd Smith. Light rubbing at the margins. In an archival plastic protector.. First… Read more about this item

Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1860. These are Very Good copies of the First Edition, in a mixed state, assumed the Second Printing (there were three). Brown publisher's cloth bindings, blindstamped on the spine and front cover; titling in gilt on the spine. Clean texts; Volume One is xi, 283 pages, with the 16-page publisher's catalog in the rear - dated… Read more about this item

New York: Life Publishing Company, 1910. John Ames Mitchell (1845-1918) was one of the founders of the first "Life" magazine; he was also a prominent artist, and author of a famous early science fictiion novel, "The Last American." This novel was initially published in 1897 under a different title - "Gloria Victis." This is a Very Good (Plus)… Read more about this item

Hartford, San Francisco, Et.al.: American Publishing Company, 1870. Twain's second book. This is a Very Good copy of the First Edition (Second Issue, with 1870 on TP). Brown publisher's cloth binding, ruled and stamped, with gilt titling and decorations on the spine and front cover. Clean text; 651 pages. This copy has Bancroft on the Title Page and five pages… Read more about this item

Hartford/London: American Publishing Company/Chatto & Windus, 1880. Usually considered to be a sequel to "Innocents Abroad," and is another massive undertaking. This is a Very Good (Minus) copy of the First Edition. Brown cloth binding, ruled, with decorative figure and titling in gilt on the front cover and spine. Clean text; xvi, 631 pages, with a one-page advert for "Innocents… Read more about this item

London: William Heinemann, 1896. Stephen Crane (1871-1900) is now recognized as one of the finest and most influential American writers. Readers rightly may mourn his early death. Initially rejected by publishers, Crane's iconic tale was first published as a serial. Realizing its popularity, the First Edition was issued by Appleton in 1895.This is a Very Good (Plus) copy of… Read more about this item

Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1888. Contains eleven stories in addition to the famous "My Girls." First published in 1877; this is a Very good copy of an early Later Printing. Brick red cloth binding with stamped ruling; titling and decorations in gilt on the spine. Clean text; two frontis engravings, 229 pages, with two pages of adverts in the rear. The… Read more about this item

Boston & New York: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1905. This is a Near Fine copy of an the First Edition, which is LIMITED to 300 copies. Olive-coloured paper boards with a linen spine with paper label. Clean text; 116 pages. Issued "uncut;" this copy with pages opened. Light bumps to the bottom corners, and the spine perhaps a bit darkened;… Read more about this item

New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1899. The ironic "War is Kind" is Stephen Crane's second collection of poetry. Always in poor health, a year later he would be dead at a tragically young 28. Crane went through a period of ill-regard, but now is recognized as an innovative master within American literature. This is a Very Good copy. Rare.… Read more about this item

New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1881. The final book of Cooper's "Littlepage Manuscripts" trilogy, first published in America in 1846. This is a Very Good (Plus) to Near Fine copy of a later printing. Not common. Brick red cloth binding, with fancy decorations in black and gilt. Titling on the spine in gilt; hand holding a dagger on the… Read more about this item

New York and London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1901. Literary criticism by the dean of American letters, Very Good copies of the First Edition. Two volumes, illustrated by H.C. Christy and others. Green cloth bindings with titling in red and gilt on the front cover, gilt on the spine. Clean texts. Volume One is vi, 239 pages; contains 19 essays,… Read more about this item

Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1910. This novella dates to 1889; it was filmed in 1914 and 1923. This is a Near Fine copy of the First Edition, a lovely production with illustrations by Harrison Fisher and Arthur I. Keller. Stated "Published October 1910." Turquoise decorative cloth binding, with titling and decorations in gilt and a tipped-in illustration… Read more about this item

New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1865. A collection of 32 works first published in 1855. This is a Very Good (Plus) copy of the "Author's Authorized Edition" in a posthumous issue with a much better binding than normally seen. Marbled paper boards with spine and tips of maroon leather. Five raised bands on the spine with gilt decorations; black labels… Read more about this item

London: Chapman & Hall, 1895. This is a Near Fine copy of the First English Edition, which preceded the American, Number Two in "Chapman's Story Sertie: Tales of Action, Incident, and Adventure." Dark blue cloth binding with floral decorations in maroon, light blue, and gilt; titling on the spine in gilt - a fine example of Edwardian bookmaking. Clean text;… Read more about this item

Hartford: American Publishing Company, 1881. One of Twain's most appreciated works, first published in 1872. This is a Good copy of a Later Printing from less than a decade later. Brown cloth binding, decoratively stamped. Gilt titling on spine and front cover, which features a Greek temple, a mosque, an elephant, and a pyramid as signifiers of Twan's interests here.… Read more about this item

New York: W.A. Townsend & Co., 1860. This is a Very Good copy of the First Edition. Maroon publisher's cloth binding (now mostly faded to brown) with decorative stamping; titled in gilt on both front and back. Clean text; 32 pages; all page ends are gilt. Lovely illustrations by John A. Nums on every page. Contemporary (1861) signature on the… Read more about this item

Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1884. American transcendentalist and abolitionist Henry D.Thoreau (1817-1862) achieved no material success in his lifetime, but his influence on Twentieth Century thought has been enormous. This is a Very Good copy of the first volume of the posthumous collection of his journals, to be followed by "Winter" (1888) and "Autumn" (1892. Edited by H.G.G. Blake,… Read more about this item