Fuller, Margaret (Channing, W.H.; Clarke, J.F.; Emerson, Ralph Waldo; Fuller, Margaret)

Memoirs of Margaret Fuller Ossoli, Volumes I & II

Boston, MA: Phillips, Sampson & Company, 1852. First Edition, Mixed Issue. Hardcover. Offered here is the Ralph Waldo Emerson-edited, love-laborious compendium of “memoirs” by & about Margaret Fuller (1810-1850), a central organizing force-&-figure both in American Transcendentalism as a movement, and in the greater Concord/Boston area, writ large. Now, to the matter at hand: the “problem” of discovering what it is (once and forever) that makes a First, Second, Third (and “Later”) Edition of Fuller’s memoirs—a question, apparently, that has stumped a great majority of booksellers for years. In as brief a manner as possible, Your Devoted Experts here at Third Mind Books will work to “referee” (shall we say), the bibliographical wrangling surrounding these gorgeous, historical, and proudly American volumes—the “Memoirs of Margaret Fuller Ossoli,” Volumes 1 & 2. To state it most plainly, disagreements and alternate interpretations center almost exclusively on the first three printings. The characteristic most often considered confirmatory (when deducing whether you are actually in possession of the evasive, “true” First Edition of Fuller’s memorial compendium) is, first, the debossed engravings which line the boards (both at center, as well as at each corner of the boards). The second confirmatory factor, historically, was the presence of “high type on the spine,” (something readily identified—as the pictures which accompany this lot reveal—on the copies offered here). Next: in both the Second & Third printings, W.H. Channing is credited as having authored the fourth chapter of the second volume, “Jamaica Plain” (and is similarly credited here). Now, the next thing to look for (or consider) is the presence (or, inversely, the absence) of advertisements following the work’s end on pg. 352 which comprise the volume’s final pages. In the 1857 reprint, the bibliographers concur that there are a total of 6 ads (or “pages of ads”). In the present edition, there are 4, which knocks the 1857 reprint from consideration, while at the same time negating the eligibility of the other options. Insofar as the second printing is concerned, for example, there are (apparently) no ads, at all. To recap, Your Devoted Curators at TMB can find no record of copies of Fuller’s memoirs boasting (1), “High type on the spine” & the debossed, bark-colored boards rightly associated with the true First Edition; (2), a copy with the aforementioned characteristics that also accounts for the mis-crediting of Channing (native to the First, Second & Third Printings); (3) it contains no ads in the first volume (e.g., like the second printing), but four in the second (and, as far as we know, the presence of specifically 4 ads is nowhere accounted for in the bibliographies & generally out of sequence with all we presently know of the "true First" printing. It's certainly a strong possibility that this lot carries every single point that’s rightly (and reasonably) ascribed to the First Edition, First Issue of this movement-edifying elegy-compendium. However, for the time being, we are going to go with the safer categorization of “First Edition, Mixed Issue” while we investigate the matter further. Hardcovers in debossed, illustrated boards: a First Edition, Mixed Issue copy (and nevertheless extremely early/contemporaneous with publication) specimen(s) — a relic from the age of American Transcendentalism. (Vol. 1) Book in strong Very Good condition with moderate-to-significant shelf-wear to fine-edges, corners of front, back covers; mild-to-pronounced rubbing, scuffing, faint exhibits of staining, age-toning to same; moderate-to-significant chipping & tiny closed tears to/near topmost fine-edges of spine-edge at both top & bottom of same; “age-typically” significant yellowing, foxing & spotting to interior pastedowns at front & back cover; previous owner signature & ownership inscription, perhaps not quite contemporary with the book’s publication but closer to the year of publication than is possible, today, most certainly. (Vol. 2) Book in Good condition with moderate to significant shelf-wear to fine-edges & corners of front, back covers; similarly (albeit slightly more assertive) moderate-to-pronounced rubbing, scuffing to same; similar faint exhibits of staining and age-toning; pronounced-to-significant chipping & tiny, closed tears (inc. fragment loss of cover on spine near bottommost fine-edge of same) to/near/at spine-edge, on both top & bottom of same; “age-typically” significant yellowing, foxing & spotting to interior pastedowns at front & back cover, as (Vol. 1) above. Good-Very Good. [Item #5099]

Price: $350.00