Some Remarks Concerning Mr. Longfellow's Excelsior By a Fellow of The Rowfant Club

7 x 4 1/2', 38pp. Gray green paper covered boards, gilt title on spine, teg.Top & bottom of spine chipped, tanned, minor spotting to covers, corners worn. Actor & author (1854-1935) Francis Wilson's copy with his 'The Orchard' 'jester' bookplate (initialled W. H. W. B.) & pencil signature; presented to him by Cleveland, Ohio based book collector Paul Lemperly, May 24th, 1894. 'The essay following was read before the Rowfant Club on the evening of February 17th, 1894. It is a privately printed bit of Rowfantia issued to members of the club only, and does not concern the public.' See Henry Arthur Clark's Bibliography of the Publications of the Rowfant Club (1925) for more on this very early & rare Rowfant book. Excellent example of DeVinne's simple design & clean presswork. Little known piece of humorous mock scholarship that can compare with Charles W. Chesnutt's 'Baxter's Procrustes' (also published by Rowfant in 1966). 'One of the most popular fallacies of the day is that Longfellow's 'Excelsior' is entitled to rank high as a literary production.'.…