Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, 
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore.
Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou," I said, "art sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the Nightly shore —
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!"
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

Here we offer an 1861 edition of Willson's Fifth Reader that features a very early, rare, illustrated appearance of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven," in addition to excepts from Dickens, Darwin, Coleridge, Emerson, and myriad others. It also includes an early appearance of Poe's classic, "The Bells". The book was published by Harper and Brothers, New York, in their "Harper's School and Family Series" as a "reader", which is designed to round out a student's exposure to a variety of different types of prose. 

Boards are very edgeworn with original spine label applied atop new black cloth spine (please see pics). Front flyleaf is replaced. New acid-free saddles at front and rear gutters. Added placeholding ribbon. Hinges are very secure. Binding is very tight and square.  Text and illustrations are very bright and crisp.   Measures approximately 7.5 x 5.25-inches; 539 pages, indexed.

This rare volume will make a wonderful addition to your collection or a thoughtful gift!  

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Please click HERE to see our other early Harper and Brothers editions.

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