William Cullen Bryant, 1844

BRYANT, William Cullen (1794-1878). The White-Footed Deer and other Poems. New York: I.S. Platt, Press of the Home Library, 1844.

First edition, extremely rare in original printed wrappers. This was the first title in The Home Library, a series dreamed up by members of the American Copyright Club, headed by Bryant, with the goal of strengthening the role of copyright to protect the livelihoods of authors. Although the project was ultimately short-lived, it became the forerunner of The Library of American Books, which "introduced to the American reader major books by Hawthorne, Poe, and Melville" (Goodspeed). This is Goodspeed's Variant A. The only other copy recorded at auction in the last 50 years is the Terry-Bradley Martin copy, also in wrappers. BAL 1626; George T. Goodspeed, "The Home Library," in PBSA Vol. 42, No. 2 (1948), pp. 95-167.

12mo (171 x 101mm). Initial and terminal blanks, half title, advertisement on verso of contents leaf (some foxing). Original printed buff wrappers (spine a bit chipped, minor crease); modern cloth box. Provenance: Roy B. Wheeler (inscription) – Spencer and Janice Gilbert (inscription).