Herman Melville, 1857

MELVILLE, Herman (1819-1891). The Confidence-Man: His Masquerade. New York: Dix, Edwards & Co., 1857.

First edition of Melville's last novel. "He had already departed on his trip to Europe and the Holy Land when it was published. Many contemporary readers thought it symptomatic of a 'bewildered mind'" (Reese). A clean, tight copy. BAL 13670.

Octavo. Original blue cloth (faded). Provenance: Philip Greely Brown (bookplate, his sale, Anderson Galleries, 15 & 16 October 1935, lot 353) – Philip Henry Brown (inscription).

Exhibited: "A Herman Melville Collection ... on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his death, from the collection of William S. Reese," Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, 1991, no. 27.