[SEDGWICK, Catharine Maria (1789-1867).] A New-England Tale; or, Sketches of New-England Character and Manners. New-York: Published by E. Bliss & White, 1822.

First edition of the author's rare first work, last recorded at auction in 1938. Born in Stockbridge, Massachusetts in 1789, Catharine Sedgwick was one of 19th-century America's most prolific and respected female authors, writing six novels, eight works for children, two biographies, and over 100 short pieces of prose and other works over the course of her career. In an 1835 review of her novel The Linwoods, Edgar Allan Poe would observe, "Miss Sedgwick is one among the few American writers who have risen by merely their own intrinsic talents," noting that she was "fully deserving of all the popularity she has attained." A New-England Tale tells the story of Jane Elton, an orphan, who goes to live with her overbearing Calvinist aunt in New England. A recent Penguin edition notes that the novel is ultimately "about the connection between parenting and governing, and the key role women play in shaping a fledgling nation." Sabin 78796.

12mo (177 x 102mm). (Lacking half-title, front and rear free endpapers; dampstain at gutter of title and first 50 or so pages; a few mostly marginal tears; a few pages with inkblots). Contemporary sheep, red spine label (rubbed, wear along joints).