Walden by Henry David Thoreau (1864) hardcover book

Henry D. Thoreau - Walden

Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1864. Early printing (following the first, same publisher, 1854). The 1864 publication is distinguished by the absence of advertisements following page 357 and the deletion of the book's disjunctive subtitle ("or, Life in the Woods") which originally appeared on both the spine and the title page. The words "single spruce" on page 137 and "white spruce" on page 217 are preserved here, commensurate with the first printing; their replacement, by "double spruce" and "black spruce," respectively, in the second edition of 1884 signifies the first change within the body of text (c.f. Francis Henry Allen's A Bibliography of Thoreau, 1908).

Hardcover. 12mo. Brown cloth binding with gilt lettering; all textblock edges likewise gilt. 357 pp. Topographical map of the pond and its surroundings following page 306. Very good condition. Former owner's name in pencil on flyleaf. A contemporary newspaper clipping ("Thoreau a Lover of Children") ensconced long ago on page 307 has left a foxing shadow in its likeness. There is just a bit of general wear and rubbing to covers. Altogether this is a very clean, very solidly bound copy of a timeless book.