MELVILLE, HERMAN. Moby-Dick; or, The Whale. New York: Harper, 1851. 8vo, original black cloth, covers stamped with a heavy rule border and central publisher's device in blind, gilt-lettered on spine, spine ends and corners worn, a 1/4-inch horizontal chip across head of spine, a little chipping along lower joint, tiny repair at heal of rear outer joint; some scattered foxing. FIRST AMERICAN EDITION, in BAL's First Binding, but an unrecorded variant with glazed cream endpapers (not noted in BAL); with a mostly erased pencil inscription (dated 1880) on front free endpaper. BAL 13664; Grolier/American 60.