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Two Years Before the Mast

Lot 179
26.05.2022 10:00UTC -05:00
Classic
Sold
$ 6 048
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUSA, New York
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 753066
Lot 179 | Two Years Before the Mast
Estimate value
$ 2 000 – 3 000
Two Years Before the MastRichard Henry Dana, Jr, 1841[DANA, Richard Henry, Jr. (1815-1882)]. Two Years Before the Mast. A Personal Narrative of Life at Sea. London: Edward Moxon, 1841. Inscribed presentation copy of the first British edition of "one of the great works of maritime adventure by an American" (Best of the West). The first American edition was published the previous year. "Two years was immediately a highly popular work. Written in clear and concise prose, it appealed to a broad spectrum of readers. Dana's exotic trip to California, which was virtually unknown to Americans at the time, became the best contemporary description of the territory the United States seized just a few years later. Many people, notably Herman Melville, celebrated his account of his life as a sailor and the rigors of voyaging around Cape Horn" (Narratives of Personal Experience). It also happens to contain "the best account of the early hide trade of California" (Six Score). BAL 4434; Howes D-49 (first American); Best of the West 41 (first American); Narratives of Personal Experience 41; Six Score: The 120 Best Books on the Range Cattle Industry 28. Octavo (231 x 146mm). Ad leaf at front. Later navy calf gilt (a little wear at extremities). Custom chemise and slipcase. Provenance: "Mrs Dicksin / Respectfully / From / R. H. D. Jr." (author's presentation inscription on flyleaf). [With:] DANA, Richard Henry Jr., autograph letter signed (Rich H. Dana Jr) to Mary E. Curtis, January 26, 1864. 4 pages on one bifolium, discussing mail delivery to Confederate states.
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