MELVILLE, HERMAN. The Whale. London: Richard Bentley 1851. 3 vols., 8vo, original blue cloth sides, stamped in blind, and cream cloth spines gilt stamped with a sounding whale and gilt-lettered, lower edges uncut, binder's ticket of Remnant & Edmonds at inside rear cover of vol. 1, a slight stain and a few fox marks on spine of vol. 1, very slight wear at rear outer joint and heel of spine of vol. 1 and ends of spine of vol. 2, extreme lower blank fore-corners of five leaves in vol. 3 evenly torn away from careless opening, three trifling white spots on rear cover of vol. 3, a large remnant of a nineteenth-century printed lending-library members' list (with manuscript details of borrowings -- dated by month but not year) on front endpaper of vol. 3, traces of similar removed lists (or labels) on the other five endpapers, red half morocco slipcase. FIRST EDITION OF MOBY-DICK, published in an edition of 500 copies a month before the American and containing substantial textual differences, including the deletion of 35 passages that were restored in the New York edition; half-title in vol. 1 (none issued for the other volumes). BAL 13663; Sadleir 1685; Grolier American 60. Despite the minor faults noted, A FINE AND EXCEPTIONALLY BRIGHT COPY. (3)

Details

MELVILLE, HERMAN. The Whale. London: Richard Bentley 1851. 3 vols., 8vo, original blue cloth sides, stamped in blind, and cream cloth spines gilt stamped with a sounding whale and gilt-lettered, lower edges uncut, binder's ticket of Remnant & Edmonds at inside rear cover of vol. 1, a slight stain and a few fox marks on spine of vol. 1, very slight wear at rear outer joint and heel of spine of vol. 1 and ends of spine of vol. 2, extreme lower blank fore-corners of five leaves in vol. 3 evenly torn away from careless opening, three trifling white spots on rear cover of vol. 3, a large remnant of a nineteenth-century printed lending-library members' list (with manuscript details of borrowings -- dated by month but not year) on front endpaper of vol. 3, traces of similar removed lists (or labels) on the other five endpapers, red half morocco slipcase. FIRST EDITION OF MOBY-DICK, published in an edition of 500 copies a month before the American and containing substantial textual differences, including the deletion of 35 passages that were restored in the New York edition; half-title in vol. 1 (none issued for the other volumes). BAL 13663; Sadleir 1685; Grolier American 60. Despite the minor faults noted, A FINE AND EXCEPTIONALLY BRIGHT COPY. (3)