[HALE, Sarah Josepha (1788-1879).] The Lecturess: or Woman's Sphere. Boston: Whipple and Damrell, 1839.

Extremely scarce first edition, in original wrappers, of the first American novel about a women's rights activist, by American tastemaker Sarah Josepha Hale. Hale was the editor of The Ladies' Magazine and Godey's Lady's Book, an early supporter of Vassar College, and a major promoter of the establishment of the Thanksgiving Holiday—among many other accomplishments. Ironically, the present novel is about a woman whose interest in public speaking on women's rights and abolition leads to the total destruction of her life, suggesting that women needed to stick to their own "sphere" to lead proper lives. A rare survival in original condition of a fascinating witness to women’s roles in 19^th-century America; RBH records no copies at auction. Wright 1081. See Granville Ganter, "The Unexceptional Eloquence of Sarah Josepha Hale's The Lecturess," in Journal of the American Antiquarian Society, pp. 272-278.

16mo (155 x 95mm). 2pp. ads at end (foxing to text). Original dun wrappers (a few small chips to backstrip).