Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1851 and 1860

HAWTHORNE, Nathaniel (1804-1864). The Blithedale Romance. Boston: Ticknor, Reed and Fields, 1852. Binding B. BAL 7611; Clark, A 20.2.a.Octavo (180 x 110mm). 12 pages of advertisements at the end, undated. Original brown cloth blind-stamped and light yellow endpapers (head and tail caps chipped, end papers somewhat foxed).

— The Marble Faun: or, The Romance of Monte Beni. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1860. Second of three pre-publication printings according to BAL 7621; Clark A 23.3.b. Two volumes, 12mo (184 x 112mm). 16 page publisher’s catalogue at the end of Vol. I (minor spotting and a stain on pp.47 of Vol.II). Original brown cloth blind stamped with gilt lettered spine and terracotta coated endpapers (faint discoloration, two bubbles on the front board of Vol. I). Provenance: C.R. Kendall (inscription).

Two first American editions of Hawthorne romances, each influenced by his travels. The Blithedale Romance is based on his recollections of Brook Farm, an agricultural and educational commune which garnered interest from famous Transcendentalists such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Margaret Fuller; The Marble Faun is inspired by the art and architecture Hawthorne saw during his sojourn in Rome in 1858.