by Herman Melville
First American edition, first printing in first issue binding, completely unrestored
New York: Harper and Brothers, 1851. First American edition of Melville's epic novel, in first issue binding and completely unrestored. In original gray cloth with publisher's device stamped in blind. xxiii, 635, [6 ads]. Very Good. Cloth lightly soiled and worn at the extremities, spine toned. Pages heavily foxed as common, owner details to front free endpaper, ink owner name to title page with offsetting to adjacent pages as well. Light, sporadic pencil notations to text, old unobtrusive tidemark to bottom margins
A difficult, linguistically-innovative fever dream of a novel, which has been hailed as America's greatest contribution to world literature. Uncommon in the original publisher's binding and without any restoration; a beautiful example, housed in a custom chemise case. BAL 13664.