HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW! (FIRST EDITION, 1839!) In Original Binding Set

About this Item

HYPERION, A ROMANCE! A Novel By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. First Edition. Printed in 1839. First Edition of Hyperion, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Printed in 1839. Bound in the original boards. Printed on quality rag paper. Hyperion is one of his earliest works, so the print count was already quite low. A low print count, presumably well under 1000 sets ever printed before the printing was seized by creditors. Though 2200 sets were to be issued, the publisher Samuel Colman was bankrupt by the end of 1839 and the remaining unsold copies, including unbound sheets, were seized by creditors (see Robert L. Gale, "A Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Companion (2003), p. 44) __________ Hyperion: A Romance is one of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's earliest works, published in 1839. Hyperion follows a young American protagonist named Paul Flemming as he travels through Germany. The character's wandering is partially inspired by the death of a friend. The author had also recently lost someone close to him. Longfellow's first wife, Mary Storer Potter, died in the Netherlands after a miscarriage in 1836; Longfellow was deeply saddened by her death and noted in his diary: "All day I am weary and sad . and at night I cry myself to sleep like a child." Hyperion was inspired in part by his trips to Europe as well as his then-unsuccessful courtship of Frances Appleton. In the book, Flemming falls in love with an Englishwoman, Mary Ashburton, who rejects him. Generalized wear. Original armorial/bald eagle plate on the pastedown, with some early ownership names and markings upfront. These are the original bindings from 1838, and have wear as clearly shown. The original paper labels are abraded. Book plate in volume two is intentionally abraded in order to remove the owner's name from the plate. Text with some minor stains and smudges but overall very nice and a pleasure to read. Well laid out and a pleasure to read. A low print count, presumably well under 1000 sets ever printed before the printing was seized by creditors. Though 2200 sets were to be issued, the publisher Samuel Colman was bankrupt by the end of 1839 and the remaining unsold copies, including unbound sheets, were seized by creditors (see Robert L. Gale, "A Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Companion (2003), p. 44). Seller Inventory # 22.08.03.lo

Bibliographic Details

Title: HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW! (FIRST EDITION, ...

Binding: Hardcover

Edition: 1st Edition