MELVILLE, Herman (1819-1891). The Refugee. Philadelphia: T.B. Peterson & Brothers [no date, but c.1865].

The Doheny copy of the pirated edition of Israel Potter. "T.B. Petersen, a pulp publisher in Philadelphia, pirated Israel Potter and issued it under a new title. To add insult to Melville's already injured reputation, the titlepage noted him as the author of two books he did not write, The Two Captains and The Man of the World, besides Typee and Omoo" (Reese). A bright copy. ABPC records only two copies, the most recent selling in 1998. For Melville's comments on this edition, see his letter to James Billson (lot 658). BAL 13724.

Octavo. Publisher’s red, black, and gilt-stamped pictorial boards (a little rubbing to spine ends, a little bumping to tips). Provenance: Estelle Doheny (bookplate, her sale, Christie's New York, 18 October 1988, lot 1480).

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. 24.