A Checklist of Hawthorne’s First and Major Editions
The Hawthorne collector is fortunate because he can arm himself with an arsenal of high caliber bibliographical sources. Volume four of THE BIBLIOGRAPHY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE (familiarly known as BAL) is a good beginning, but has been largely superseded by Frazer Clark's NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE, A BIBLIOGRAPHY (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1978). For this reason, use extreme caution when dealing with a bookseller who relies on BAL instead of Clark and you will avoid some painfully expensive mistakes. For more information about the publication histories of his books, consult Carroll Wilson's THIRTEEN AUTHOR COLLECTIONS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY (2 vols, 1950) and THE PARKMAN DEXTER HOWE LIBRARY, PART VI (University of Florida, 1989). A perusal of HAWTHORNE AT AUCTION, 1894-1971 (Bruccoli-Clark, 1972) will prove an education, and among the many significant sales of Hawthorne material over the years, the extraordinary 1924 sale of Stephen H. Wakeman's collection stands supreme. The 1930 reprint of the Wakeman sale (with prices realized marked) is readily available in the used book market.
A note about prices and condition: collectors chasing after early nineteenth century first editions who expect to find them in the same condition as modern first editions need a reality check. Wrappers from the 1830s and 1840s may have some chipping or wear. The papers used by Putnam were not always properly bleached during manufacture and are often found foxed to some degree. The brown T-cloth favored by Ticknor & Fields is famous for becoming brittle with age, and cracking or fraying at the spine tips. And a few of Hawthorne's publications are so seldom seen in the market (thirty or forty years is a long time between buying opportunities) that a collector might consider "settling" for a rebound copy (or else dying without ever owning a copy). Prices provided are generally for copies in very good to fine condition, except as noted, and with no worries about bookplates, ownership inscriptions, or mild foxing.
FANSHAWE, A TALE
B: Marsh & Capen, 1828.
Issued anonymously in muslin-backed boards in an edition of 1,000 copies. A fabled rarity, but three copies have appeared at auction in the last ten years, fetching $11,000 to $22,000. Some collectors might content themselves with the 1876 second edition, usually available for under $200.
TWICE TOLD TALES
B: American Stationers Co., 1837.
Issued in various cloth styles and colors in an edition of 1,000 copies. Rare in original cloth in unrepaired condition, and such copies bring $4,000 and up. A much enlarged edition was issued in 1842 (2 vols.) and brings as much as the first edition. The 1851 edition is all reprinted from the 1842 edition except for a new preface, and nobody will make you wear a scarlet `C' (for cheap) if you buy a copy of this edition for under $400. Most of the stories in TWICE TOLD TALES had first appeared in the popular American gift book, THE TOKEN (see FIRSTS for December, 2001 for my article on such gift books), and the every issue of this gift book from 1830 to 1838 (except 1834) contains one or more first printings of Hawthorne's stories. These have become difficult to find in decent shape, and copies in very good to fine condition bring $300 and up.
PETER PARLEY'S UNIVERSAL HISTORY ON THE BASIS OF GEOGRAPHY
B: American Stationers Co., 1837.
2 vols. Issued in various cloth styles and colors. The first issue lacks volume designations in the signature marks, but the first and second issues are both so scarce that condition trumps issue when it comes to their relative market values. Either will bring $6,000 to $8,000. Collectors often content themselves with one of several early reprints that can be had for less than $1,000.
TIME'S PORTRAITURE
Salem, MA, 1838.
Issued as a handsome broadside supplement to The Salem Gazette, and extremely rare. No copies have appeared in the last thirty years of which I am aware, and should one surface today, it would likely fetch $15,000 or more. There was an 1853 re-issue (8pp.), which is also quite rare.
THE SISTER YEARS
Salem, MA, 1839.
Issued in self-wrappers as an 8pp. supplement to The Salem Gazette, and very rare. One copy has been sold privately in the last ten years, and a copy today would fetch $10,000 or more.
THE GENTLE BOY
B: Weeks, Jordan, 1839.
Issued in brown printed wrappers. Because of its large size, this first separate edition of the story is hard to find in decent shape. Copies bring $3,000 and up.
GRANDFATHER'S CHAIR
B: E. P. Peabody, 1841.
Issued in cloth with a black glazed label on front cover, lettered in gilt. Copies with a legible label are unusual, and fetch $1,000 to $1,500. Copies with illegible labels (the rule rather than the exception) bring half as much.
FAMOUS OLD PEOPLE
B: E. P. Peabody, 1841.
Issued in cloth, with label, very similar to GRANDFATHER'S CHAIR, and brings about the same.
LIBERTY TREE
B: E. P. Peabody, 1841.
The final volume in his famous juvenile trilogy, bound like the first two, and fetches about the same. All three of these children's books were issued in second editions in gilt cloth bindings in 1842, and collectors sometimes find those to be a reasonable alternative, selling for under $300 each.
BIOGRAPHICAL STORIES FOR CHILDREN
B: Tappan & Dennet, 1842.
Issued in cloth, gilt. Quite rare, and brings $3,000 or more in very good condition in original binding.
THE CELESTIAL RAIL-ROAD
B: Wilder & Co., 1843.
Issued in printed wrappers. Some copies carry an imprint of James F. Fish. The Wilder imprint has priority, but copies are so rare that either would fetch about the same. The last copy at auction fetched $2,800 in 1988, and a copy today would bring thrice that. The 1847 reprint is an affordable alternative ($1,000 to $1,500), but is as hard to find as the 1843 first edition.
JOURNAL OF AN AFRICAN CRUISER
NY: Wiley & Putnam, 1845.
Edited by Hawthorne for his friend Horatio Bridge, who had paid for the printing of TWICE TOLD TALES. Issued in printed wrappers, but usually found bound in publisher's cloth with other volumes issued in the series (Putnam's Library of American Books). There were three printings; the first has a four-line copyright notice; the second a three-line copyright notice, and the third has a cancel title-page dated 1853. There are two states of the wrappers. The edition was 2,000 copies. Cloth copies can be found for under $500, but copies in wrappers (in either state of the wrappers) are rare and fetch $3,500 and up.
MOSSES FROM AN OLD MANSE
NY: Wiley & Putnam, 1846.
2 vols. Issued in both wrappers (2 vols.) and in several styles of cloth (usually with the 2 vols. bound as one). The earliest copies have both the Smith and Craighead imprints on the versos of both title-pages. As with JOURNAL OF AN AFRICAN CRUISER the wrappers occur in several states, but are so rare that this has no real effect on their market value; condition matters more. Wrappered copies bring $6,000 or more, and cloth copies bring less than $1,000. Mixed and later issues (without both imprints in both volumes) sell for much less.
THE SCARLET LETTER
B: Ticknor, Reed & Fields, 1850.
Issued in Ticknor's familiar brown T-cloth, gilt. The edition was 2,500 copies. The first edition has the reading "reduplicate" at 21.20. The second edition adds a preface and has a Metcalf imprint on verso of title-page. The third printing has the same preface but has a Hobart & Robbins imprint on verso of title-page.
A note of caution is warranted for this book: Like so many landmark works of literature, this book has been a favorite target of forgers for nearly a century and copies of the second edition are found posing as first editions (with the preface cleverly excised), and copies of first edition sheets are often found recased in the identical bindings that were used on the second, third and later printings. Prices vary widely with condition, and Hawthorne collectors must compete with "highspot collectors" but most copies in very good unrepaired condition fetch $5,000 or more, and a fine copy can bring more than double that much. A nice copy of the second edition should be under $1,000.
THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES
B: Ticknor, Reed & Fields, 1851.
Issued in Ticknor's familiar brown T-cloth, identical to THE SCARLET LETTER. The first printing of 1,690 copies can be distinguished by battered type at the "t" and "h" at the ends of the first two lines on page 149. The second printing was 1,969 copies, and for details of how to tell the second through fifth printings (all dated 1851) consult the type batter charts in Clark. The first printing can bring $2,000 or more in nice condition; the later printings can be found for under $500.
TRUE STORIES FROM HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY
B: Ticknor, Reed & Fields, 1851.
Not a first edition, but often collected because the original printings of the contents are so scarce. Issued in several cloth colors, and there were three printings. The first printing is 335pp. and reads "in the way with" at [iii].3up. The second printing reads "in the way, with" and the third printing has the same reading as the first, but is reset to 343pp. Copies are usually found for under $400.
A WONDER-BOOK FOR GIRLS AND BOYS
B: Ticknor, Reed & Fields, 1852.
Issued in several colors of cloth, gilt. The first printing has "lifted" misprinted as "lifed" at 21.3. The edition was 3,067 copies, and fine or nearly fine copies are difficult to find and bring $2,000 and up. Copies of the second printing can be found for less than $1,000.
THE SNOW-IMAGE AND OTHER TWICE-TOLD TALES
B: Ticknor, Reed & Fields, 1852.
Issued in Ticknor's familiar brown T-cloth, gilt, and identical to THE SCARLET LETTER and THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES. The edition was 2,425 copies, and copies can be found in the $200 to $400 range.
THE BLITHEDALE ROMANCE
B: Ticknor, Reed & Fields, 1852.
Issued in the familiar brown T-cloth that Ticknor adored. The first printing was 5,090 copies and can be distinguished by the position of the copyright notice, aligned with lines 4-6 of the preface on the opposite page. The second printing was 2,350 copies and the copyright notice is now set a bit higher, almost aligned with lines 3-5 of the preface text. There are also two states of the spine imprint. Attractive copies of the first printing bring $200 to $400. The English edition (2 vols., preceding the American) is also collected, and brings $1,500 and up.
LIFE OF FRANKLIN PIERCE
B: Ticknor, Reed & Fields, 1852.
Issued in wrappers, as well as brown or black cloth, gilt. There were three printings, totaling 12,952 copies. It is possible that nearly 10,000 were bound in wrappers, but wrappered copies have a low survival rate and are scarce today. Two states of the wrappers are known (with and without price), but the three printings of the text sheets have not been distinguished. Copies in the unpriced wrappers were given away at campaign rallies, and other wrappered copies were sold for 37 1/2 cents, but either will cost $1,000 or more today in nice condition. Cloth copies can be found for under $400.
TANGLEWOOD TALES
B: Ticknor, Reed & Fields, 1853.
Issued in several cloth colors, gilt. The first printing was 3,000 copies and can be distinguished by the absence of Rand's printer's slug on the verso of the title-page. The second printing was just 800 copies, and has Rand's imprint present. Like A WONDER-BOOK, this is a childrens book and condition accounts for wide variance in prices, but nice copies will bring $1,500 or more.
THE MARBLE FAUN, OR THE ROMANCE OF MONTE BENI
B: Ticknor & Fields, 1860.
2 vols. Issued in Ticknor's good ole brown T-cloth, just like Hawthorne's previous three "romances." There were five printings in 1860. The first three totaled 8,000 copies. The first printing was gathered in 8s, but signed in 12s. The later printings were both signed and gathered in 12s. The fourth printing added Hawthorne's `Conclusion' a feature demanded by his whining readers, and is collectible for that reason. The fifth printing has a "SEVENTEENTH THOUSAND" slug on the copyright page. The English edition (a triple-decker entitled TRANSFORMATION, which preceded the American edition) is also collected, and brings $1,500 and up when in original cloth in nice shape. The American first printing brings $600 to $800, and the fourth printing with Hawthorne's added `Conclusion' brings $200.
OUR OLD HOME
B: Ticknor & Fields, 1863.
Issued in Ticknor's brown T-cloth, gilt. The first printing of 3,500 copies has a single page add at page 399 and the misprint "myterious" for "mysterious" at 145.23. The second printing of 2,000 copies has page 399 blank, and usually has inserted publisher's ads following the text. The third printing of 1,000 copies has the ad back on page 399, but corrects the misprint at 145.23, and is on slightly thinner paper than the first printing. The third printing is often mistaken for the first printing. The first printing brings $200 in nice shape; the other printings somewhat less. The English edition (2 vols., published simultaneously with the American) is also collected, and fetches about $1,000.
THE PANSIE
L: John Camden Hotten [1864]
Issued in pictorial yellow-glazed wrappers. This edition is a piracy by the famous British pirate who was soon stealing the intellectual properties of Walt Whitman, Mark Twain, and other American authors. There was no American edition. Uncommon in decent condition, and fetches $500 and up.
PASSAGES FROM THE AMERICAN NOTE-BOOKS
B: Ticknor & Fields, 1868.
2 vols. Issued in green cloth, gilt. The first printing was 1,500 copies and has "Ticknor & Co." in gilt at foot of spine. The second printing was just 500 copies, and has a "Fields, Osgood & Co." spine imprint. Copies of the first printing fetch $300 and up.
PASSAGES FROM THE ENGLISH NOTE-BOOKS
B: Fields, Osgood & Co., 1870.
2 vols. Issued in green cloth, uniform with the American note-books. The first printing was 1,000 copies, and the second printing was just 500 copies. No distinguishing features between them have been found. Copies fetch $300 and up.
PASSAGES FROM THE FRENCH AND ITALIAN NOTE-BOOKS
B: James R. Osgood, 1872.
2 vols. Issued in green cloth, uniform with the previous note-book extracts. The first printing was 1,500 copies. The second printing, also 1,500 copies, was dated 1873. Copies of the first printing fetch $300 and up.
SEPTIMIUS FELTON, OR THE ELIXIR OF LIFE
B: James R. Osgood, 1872.
Issued in several colors of cloth, gilt, in an edition of 3,000 copies. Copies were still on hand after 1880 when unbound copies were put into bindings with the Houghton, Osgood and Houghton, Mifflin imprints, or with no imprint at all. Copies can be found for less than $200.
THE DOLLIVER ROMANCE AND OTHER PIECES
B: James R. Osgood, 1876.
Issued in green cloth, gilt. The edition was 1,000 copies, and copies can be found for under $200. FANSHAWE was also re-issued at this time in a binding uniform with THE DOLLIVER ROMANCE.
DOCTOR GRIMSHAWE'S SECRET, A ROMANCE
B: James R. Osgood, 1883.
Issued in light gray and gray-green pictorial cloth, gilt. The edition was 5,000 copies, followed by a large paper limited edition of 250 numbered copies bound in cream paper-covered boards, with spine label, and uncut. The trade edition can be found for under $200, and the limited edition, difficult to find in good condition because of its large size and fragile binding, brings $400 or more.
THE GHOST OF DOCTOR HARRIS
NY: The Tucker Pub. Co. [1900]
Issued in gray-green pictorial wrappers printed in red. Rather scarce, and copies fetch $500 and up.
****This was originally published in First magazine in March 2005; it has been reprinted with permission of the author and publication. No portion of this article may be reproduced or redistributed without their express written permission.
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