American Revolution
1863 First Book Form Appearance of "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" in "TALES OF A WAYSIDE INN" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
1863-Dated Book, First Edition, "TALES OF A WAYSIDE INN" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Containing the First Appearance in Book Form of "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere." Published by Ticknor and Fields, Boston, Fine.
This classic book measures 4" x 7" and contains 225 pages plus a 22 page list of Other Publications from Ticknor & Fields, publishers of this book. Overall fine condition, sound interior with some wear on the outer edges of the cover and with a loose bookplate leaf inside the cover. Printed on this paper with gilt edges. Bound in 3/4 blue crushed-morocco morocco boards, with marbled sides. Rubbed spine with five raised bands decoratively lettered and tooled in gilt. First published in 1863, the poems included in this book are told to a group of adults in the tavern of the Wayside Inn in Sudbury, Massachusetts by the landlord of the establishment. Contains Longfellow's most enduring poem, "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" on page 18, where it is titled "The Landlord's Tale: Paul Revere's Ride." We note that a book dealer is advertising a similar copy, first edition, only the boards somewhat less worn, at a current advertised price online at $3,295. This very special original First Edition may find a home in your library at our more modest estimate.
Tales of a Wayside Inn is a collection of poems by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The book, published in 1863, depicts a group of people at the Wayside Inn in Sudbury, Massachusetts as each tells a story in the form of a poem. "Tales of a Wayside Inn" contains the first appearance in book form of the famous "Paul Revere's Ride", although in this book of poems it is headed "The Landlord's Tale".
The poems in the collection are told by a group of adults in the tavern of the Wayside Inn in Sudbury, Massachusetts, 20 miles from the poet's home in Cambridge, and a favorite resort for parties from Harvard College. The narrators are friends of the author who, though they were not named, were so plainly characterized as to be easily recognizable. Among those of wider fame are Ole Bull, the violinist, and Thomas William Parsons, the poet and translator of Dante. Each of the three parts has a prelude and a finale, and there are interludes which link together the tales and introduce the narrators.
About the binder & signed binding ("C. Walters" stamped to FFEP). "Walters was influenced to take up bookbinding around 1900 by the late George D. Smith, eminent bookseller. Later he studied with Matthews, the Club Bindery and Stikeman. He conceived his ideas about mosaic bindings as early as 1904, but between 1907 and 1928 he remained inactive. He has invented and brought to perfection a new technique whereby the most intricate inlaid designs can be achieved by a few simple tools, without the use of dies or punches. Walters' work has received wide recognition. Some of his early bindings are included in the Henry W. Poor collection, and many have been exhibited in Paris (1930), New York (Columbia University, 1935), Hamburg (Kunstgewerbeschule, 1933-36) and Berlin (1936). Articles describing and illustrating these masterpieces have appeared in several journals such as the Archiv fr Buchbinderei (1934) and The American Book Collector (1932). Walters' bindings are made of the very finest leathers available, and that their workmanship reveals consummate craftsman down to the smallest detail" (From the catalog Foreword, Parke-Bernet sale, Tuesday, December 10th, 1957).
KEYWORDS:
Revolutionary War, Historic American Poems, First Edition poems by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow