The Bruce M. Lisman Collection of Important American Literature: Part One

Christie's is pleased to announce its upcoming live auction, The Bruce M. Lisman Collection of Important American Literature: Part One, taking place on 15 June at 10am. Part One features a wealth of printed books and manuscripts from some of the most important writers of the 18th and 19th century: Phillis Wheatley Peters (including the first edition of Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral), Washington Irving (Salmagundi and The Sketch Book, both in original wrappers, along with autograph manuscripts and letters), James Fenimore Cooper (The Water Witch, printed in Dresden), Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (a rare first issue of Evangeline in original boards, along with numerous autograph manuscripts and presentation copies), Edgar Allan Poe (Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque inscribed to his cousin), Harriet Beecher Stowe (Uncle Tom's Cabin in original parts from the National Era, as well as an autograph letter appealing to help an enslaved minister purchase his freedom), Nathaniel Hawthorne (see below), Herman Melville (the rarest of the triple-deckers, The Whale), Walt Whitman (an autograph manuscript from Leaves of Grass, along with the rare Emerson broadside accompanying the 1855 first edition), and Samuel Clemens (fine first editions of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, as well as an autograph letter to his future father-in-law, defending his reputation). Notably the collection of Hawthorne is the finest in private hands, beginning with the author's heavily annotated proofs for his masterpiece, The Scarlet Letter. Other books and manuscripts include a family copy of The Scarlet Letter, together with the only known manuscript excerpt from the novel in private hands; rare presentation copies of the novels and tales; first printings of stories from gift-books, annuals, and magazines; autograph letters; books from his library; a linen bag dating from his days at Bowdoin College; and more.

Highlights will be on view at Christie's New York from 20–24 May, coinciding with Old Master Week.