Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Price: US$150.00 + shipping
Condition: Poor
Description: 3 volumes, all originally bound in full leather, all in various states of disrepair. Volume 1 lacks the title page. Both boards are present but detached. First page is the Advertisement to the first edition. 500 pages. Some dogeared corners and some toning and foxing to the pages (for this volume as well as the other two. The name J.R. Ingersoll is signed on the inside front cover. Volume 2 has the title page and both blank endpapers, but lacks both boards. 512 pages. Volume 3 has 543 pages. Rear board attached. Front board detached but present. J.R. Ingersoll signed on the inside of the front board. The text blocks of all three volumes are intact. Only a single sprung page (in volume1). Boards (such as remain) full brown leather, scuffed and bumped and worn. Spines retain original leather, but much scuffed and chipped. Volume 3 has part of the original maroon label. This is the first American edition of Boswell's Life of Johnson. It belonged to Joseph Reed Ingersoll (1768-1868) who was a lawyer and one-term Congressman from PA. Please email with questions. This set could certainly be rebound and made presentable - though the missing title page in volume 1 is an impediment.
Seller: Riverby Books, Fredericksburg, VA, U.S.A.
BOSWELL, James. LIFE OF SAMUEL JOHNSON, LL. D. . IN THREE VOLUMES. , 1807.
Price: US$225.00 + shipping
Description: BOSWELL, James. THE LIFE OF SAMUEL JOHNSON, LL. D. COMPREHENDING AN ACCOUNT OF HIS STUDIES, AND NUMEROUS WORKS, IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER; A SERIES OF HIS EPISTOLARY CORRESPONDENCE AND CONVERSATIONS WITH MANY EMINENT PERSONS; AND VARIOUS ORIGINAL PIECES OF HIS COMPOSITION, NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED . IN THREE VOLUMES. Boston: W. Andrews and L. Blake, 1807. First American from the Fifth London Edition. 500/512/543 pp. with index in Vol. III. 8vo., original calf, spine labels missing, boards detached, spines and corners chipped. Leather powdery. Text complete, with frontispiece engraving portrait in Vol. I. Moderate to heavy foxing in the text. Contemporary ink ownership to title page or first page of text; front flyleaf of Vol. III is chipped at top corner. Bindings sound. Sold as is.
Seller: Boston Book Company, Inc. ABAA, Boston, MA, U.S.A.
Price: US$312.50 + shipping
Description: First American edition, taken from the fifth Malone edition published in London earlier the same year, 8vo, 3 volumes, frontispiece portrait, folding "Round Robin" plate, folding facsimile of Johnson's handwriting; title page in volume II partially loose and torn, with loss to a word or two; uncut copy in later full muslin, manuscript paper labels on spine; very good. Pottle 85.
Seller: Rulon-Miller Books (ABAA / ILAB), St. Paul, MN, U.S.A.
Price: US$375.00 + shipping
Description: Octavo, Three volumes (22, 500 pages; 512 pages; 543 pages). In Good condition. Spines are brown with gold print on black banners. Boards in brown leather. Light wear to spine caps and corners, slight scuffing. Text blocks have red marbled edges, blue marbled endpapers. Name in pencil and ink on front endpapers, occasional light foxing. Illustrated: frontispiece portrait in first volume, folded facsimile of Johnson's handwriting in third volume. NOTE: Shelved in Locked Annex Area. 1374511. FP New Rockville Stock. First American from the fifth London edition.
Seller: Second Story Books, ABAA, Rockville, MD, U.S.A.
BOSWELL, JAMES. The life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.. W. Andrews and L. Blake, Boston, 1807.
Price: US$468.75 + shipping
Description: First American edition, taken from the fifth Malone edition published in London earlier the same year, 8vo, 3 volumes, frontispiece portrait, folding "Round Robin" plate, folding facsimile of Johnson's handwriting; corner of 9/3 torn with minor loss to a few letters; mild and occasionally moderate foxing throughout, else good and sound in recent 1/2 tan calf over blue linen sides. Pottle 85.
Seller: Rulon-Miller Books (ABAA / ILAB), St. Paul, MN, U.S.A.
Price: US$600.00 + shipping
Description: First American from the fifth London Edition (1807, edited by Edmund Malone). The first edition was published in 1791. Frontispiece, 2 folding facsimiles. 500; 512; 543 pp. 3 vols. 8vo. First American Edition of Boswell. This is the first edition of this work to contain an index. Lilly "Grolier 100 Books Famous in English Literature" 63; Pottle 85; Shaw & Shoemaker 12184. For the 1791 first edition: Courtney-Nichol Smith p. 172; Grolier "English" 63; Pottle 79; Tinker 388 Contemporary sheep, red morocco spine labels. Binding worn, internally clean with occasional foxing Frontispiece, 2 folding facsimiles. 500; 512; 543 pp. 3 vols. 8vo First American from the fifth London Edition (1807, edited by Edmund Malone). The first edition was published in 1791.
Seller: James Cummins Bookseller, ABAA, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$625.00 + shipping
Description: First American edition, taken from the fifth Malone edition published in London earlier the same year, 8vo, 3 volumes, frontispiece portrait, folding "Round Robin" plate, folding facsimile of Johnson's handwriting; contemporary full sheep, black and red labels; joints reinforced on first and third volumes, joints rubbed on the second volume, paper flaw on pages 265-6 in the second volume affecting a few letters; generally a good, sound set, in a tan cloth clamshell box. Ownership signature of Anna Guest on all title pages. This is the first edition of The Life to contain an index. American Imprints 12184; Pottle 85.
Seller: Rulon-Miller Books (ABAA / ILAB), St. Paul, MN, U.S.A.
Price: US$750.00 + shipping
Description: First American from the fifth London Edition (1807, edited by Edmund Malone). The First edition was published in 1791. Engraved portrait frontispiece by D. Edwin in first volume. Pp. 500; 512; 543. Two folding facsimile leaves (vol. 2 following p. 342,vol 3 following p.472). 3 vols. 8vo. First American in Boards, Uncut. John McVickar is rest recalled as an economist. He was one of the earliest teachers of political economy in the U. S., taught while he was Professor of Moral Philosophy at Columbia which he held from 1817 until 1857. In 1857, when Columbia brought in Francis Leiber to teach political economy McVickar was transferred to the Chair of Evidences of Natural and Revealed Religion, a position he held until his retirement in 1864. From 1844 until 1864 he was also Army Chaplain at Fort Columbus in New York. He is also recalled as one of the founders of St. Stephen's College for Episcopal clergyman. He was the author of several works including the revised and greatly extended "Britannica" article by McCulloch "Outline of Political Economy "(1825), "Hints on Banking"(1827); and several others on finance and banking and a biography of Henry Hobart. Original cream paper-backed blue and cream marbled boards, orange printed label, ornamental decorations on spine, uncut. First volume dampstained throughout, some holes in title which is spotted, some foxing, binding of first volume damaged and lacking spine (portion of spine with label laid in), covers loosened, volumes two and three with some rubbing of bindings and short tears of spines, insect holes along bands, some light spotting but generally the last two volumes very good with contemporary signature of John McVickar on endpapers Engraved portrait frontispiece by D. Edwin in first volume. Pp. 500; 512; 543. Two folding facsimile leaves (vol. 2 following p. 342,vol 3 following p.472). 3 vols. 8vo First American from the fifth London Edition (1807, edited by Edmund Malone). The First edition was published in 1791.
Seller: James Cummins Bookseller, ABAA, New York, NY, U.S.A.