ROBINSON, EDWIN ARLINGTON. The Torrent and the Night Before. Gardiner, Maine: Printed for the Author 1896. 12mo, original printed light greenish-blue wrappers, uncut, recased with front cover rehinged, small tear in front cover skilfully repaired on verso, heel of spine a trifle chipped; half morocco slipcase. FIRST EDITION of Robinson's very scarce first book, published at his expense in an edition of 312 copies, A FINE PRESENTATION COPY, inscribed by the author on the title-page: "H.E. Scudder with compliments of E.A. Robinson." The recipient was Horace Elisha Scudder (1838-1902), American author and editor (of the Atlantic Monthly, 1890-98); as a general editorial assistant at Houghton, Mifflin, he oversaw the private printing of The Torrent and the Night Before at The Riverside Press in Cambridge. Laid in are two autograph letters signed from Robinson to the collector Paul Lemperly, New York and Brooklyn, 10 February 1898 and 13 October 1920, 3 pages, 12mo-8vo, with an envelope, the first letter regarding Torrent: "I regret that I cannot help you to get a copy of the Torrent -- I have tried all of my available Friends but they prefer to keep it. A small advertisement in the Gardiner (Me.) Reporter-Journal-Daily might bring you one if you want it badly enough to go to the trouble, and again it might not..." Of the 312 copies of Torrent printed, at least half seem to have been destroyed by fire; Carl J. Weber in a 1947 census (Colby Library Quarterly, February 1947) was able to locate only 56 copies. Hogan, p. 3.Provenance: Ownership inscription of John DeWitt Miller on inside rear cover -- Paul Lemperly (sale, Parke-Bernet, 5 January 1940, lot 827). (3)

ROBINSON, EDWIN ARLINGTON. The Torrent and the Night Before. Gardiner, Maine: Printed for the Author 1896. 12mo, original printed light greenish-blue wrappers, uncut, recased with front cover rehinged, small tear in front cover skilfully repaired on verso, heel of spine a trifle chipped; half morocco slipcase. FIRST EDITION of Robinson's very scarce first book, published at his expense in an edition of 312 copies, A FINE PRESENTATION COPY, inscribed by the author on the title-page: "H.E. Scudder with compliments of E.A. Robinson." The recipient was Horace Elisha Scudder (1838-1902), American author and editor (of the Atlantic Monthly, 1890-98); as a general editorial assistant at Houghton, Mifflin, he oversaw the private printing of The Torrent and the Night Before at The Riverside Press in Cambridge. Laid in are two autograph letters signed from Robinson to the collector Paul Lemperly, New York and Brooklyn, 10 February 1898 and 13 October 1920, 3 pages, 12mo-8vo, with an envelope, the first letter regarding Torrent: "I regret that I cannot help you to get a copy of the Torrent -- I have tried all of my available Friends but they prefer to keep it. A small advertisement in the Gardiner (Me.) Reporter-Journal-Daily might bring you one if you want it badly enough to go to the trouble, and again it might not..." Of the 312 copies of Torrent printed, at least half seem to have been destroyed by fire; Carl J. Weber in a 1947 census (Colby Library Quarterly, February 1947) was able to locate only 56 copies. Hogan, p. 3. Provenance: Ownership inscription of John DeWitt Miller on inside rear cover -- Paul Lemperly (sale, Parke-Bernet, 5 January 1940, lot 827). (3)

Details

ROBINSON, EDWIN ARLINGTON. The Torrent and the Night Before. Gardiner, Maine: Printed for the Author 1896. 12mo, original printed light greenish-blue wrappers, uncut, recased with front cover rehinged, small tear in front cover skilfully repaired on verso, heel of spine a trifle chipped; half morocco slipcase. FIRST EDITION of Robinson's very scarce first book, published at his expense in an edition of 312 copies, A FINE PRESENTATION COPY, inscribed by the author on the title-page: "H.E. Scudder with compliments of E.A. Robinson." The recipient was Horace Elisha Scudder (1838-1902), American author and editor (of the Atlantic Monthly, 1890-98); as a general editorial assistant at Houghton, Mifflin, he oversaw the private printing of The Torrent and the Night Before at The Riverside Press in Cambridge. Laid in are two autograph letters signed from Robinson to the collector Paul Lemperly, New York and Brooklyn, 10 February 1898 and 13 October 1920, 3 pages, 12mo-8vo, with an envelope, the first letter regarding Torrent: "I regret that I cannot help you to get a copy of the Torrent -- I have tried all of my available Friends but they prefer to keep it. A small advertisement in the Gardiner (Me.) Reporter-Journal-Daily might bring you one if you want it badly enough to go to the trouble, and again it might not..." Of the 312 copies of Torrent printed, at least half seem to have been destroyed by fire; Carl J. Weber in a 1947 census (Colby Library Quarterly, February 1947) was able to locate only 56 copies. Hogan, p. 3.

Provenance: Ownership inscription of John DeWitt Miller on inside rear cover -- Paul Lemperly (sale, Parke-Bernet, 5 January 1940, lot 827). (3)