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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1847
Details
Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1847
LONGFELLOW, Henry Wadsworth (1807-1882). Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie. Boston: William D. Ticknor & Company, 1847.
Extremely rare first issue of Longfellow's important romance of the Expulsion of the Acadians, in original condition with drab boards and printed spine label. The earliest printed copies have Long on p. 61, line 1; "examination indicates that during the run of the first printing the reading became Lo…, due to an unknown, accidental, cause" (BAL). This is a particularly rare issue of an already rare book in original condition; RBH records only two copies of any issue, both from the 1980s.
The idea for the poem came from Nathaniel Hawthorne, who had heard a story about tragic Acadian lovers. Longfellow did meticulous research on the historical setting of the poem, which paid off, literally—it earned him record royalty payments. It was one of the first important long poems written by an American, and also had a major impact on perceptions of the history of Nova Scotia and the Acadians themselves, whom Longfellow presents as peaceful utopians being violently persecuted by the English. BAL 12089; Grolier 84.
Octavo (182 x 120mm). 4pp. ads at front dated 1 October 1847. Original drab boards with printed paper label on spine (joints cracked and chips at spine ends): modern chemise and half morocco slipcase. Provenance: C.A Whitcomb (gift inscription from brother).
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1847
LONGFELLOW, Henry Wadsworth (1807-1882). Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie. Boston: William D. Ticknor & Company, 1847.
Extremely rare first issue of Longfellow's important romance of the Expulsion of the Acadians, in original condition with drab boards and printed spine label. The earliest printed copies have Long on p. 61, line 1; "examination indicates that during the run of the first printing the reading became Lo…, due to an unknown, accidental, cause" (BAL). This is a particularly rare issue of an already rare book in original condition; RBH records only two copies of any issue, both from the 1980s.
The idea for the poem came from Nathaniel Hawthorne, who had heard a story about tragic Acadian lovers. Longfellow did meticulous research on the historical setting of the poem, which paid off, literally—it earned him record royalty payments. It was one of the first important long poems written by an American, and also had a major impact on perceptions of the history of Nova Scotia and the Acadians themselves, whom Longfellow presents as peaceful utopians being violently persecuted by the English. BAL 12089; Grolier 84.
Octavo (182 x 120mm). 4pp. ads at front dated 1 October 1847. Original drab boards with printed paper label on spine (joints cracked and chips at spine ends): modern chemise and half morocco slipcase. Provenance: C.A Whitcomb (gift inscription from brother).
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Heather Weintraub
Specialist, Books, Manuscripts, & Archives