Herman Melville

MELVILLE, Herman (1819-1891). The Whale. London: Richard Bentley, 1853.

"This, the remaindered Whale, is far rarer than the three-volume first edition" (Reese). Single volume remainder issue of the first edition, with cancel title pages dated 1853. "After the poor commercial success of the four novels by Melville he had published, Richard Bentley declined to undertake any more. In 1853 he supplied his remaining copies with cancel title pages dated that year, had them bound in single volumes in red cloth, and closed out his stock" (Reese). Indeed, ABPC and RBH record only one copy of the remaindered Whale, selling at Sotheby's in 1951 to Rosenbach. BAL 13663 (note).

Thick octavo. (Short marginal tear to title page of volume 1.) Original red cloth (lightly rubbed, lower edge of text block a little scuffed). Custom chemise and quarter morocco slipcase. Provenance: remnants of bookplate to front pastedown and pencil drawing to rear endpaper.

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. 17.