Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Price: US$250.00 + shipping
Description: 1st Edition Clamshell Collector's Case. Custom Clamshell Case. No Binding. First Edition Clamshell Case for Henry David Thoreau's American Classic: Walden; or, Life in the Woods. Superb Custom Fitted Modern Collector's Clamshell Bookcase [Not A Book] HAND-CRAFTED by our conservation team, each box is Gilt-stamped at the spine. The case is finished in black Nuba® with a 'sculpted' breathtaking log cabin landscape design and gold sides. Every TBCL case can be finished in a selection of fine leathers & cloths or Nuba® or a combination of both. Nuba® is a fine, supple & durable covering with a neutral ph that has the feel of velvety soft Italian Nubuck leather. This clamshell is perfectly sized to accommodate your first edition. A Terrific Collector's Custom Case for an important Book. TBCL Web Site photo/link available for OVER 100 generally in-stock titles. Custom Craft available upon request. "Book definitely NOT included" When you place your order: Please confirm the actual size of your first edition as sizes may vary with age. The text can be altered to add "signed" or other special requests. Sized to fit: 7.25 x 4.75 x 1.2.
Seller: TBCL The Book Collector's Library, Montreal, QC, Canada
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden, or Life in the Woods. Ticknor and Fields, Boston, 1854.
Price: US$6500.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: First edition. 357, 8 [ads] pp. with map facing p. 307. Ads dated May 1854; no priority as per BAL 20106. In early-to-mid 20th century half leather binding. Very Good. Leather rubbed at joints and raised bands, worn at crown. Binding partially split at rear inner hinge, holding by bottom string, else stable. Light insecting to gilt on top edge of pages. Housed in a custom cloth chemise case.
Seller: Burnside Rare Books, ABAA, Portland, OR, U.S.A.
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden or Life in the Woods. Ticknor and Fields, Boston, 1854.
Price: US$7725.00 + shipping
Description: Octavo. 357 pp., 8 pp. of ads situated between the rear pale yellow endpapers, vignette title page showing Thoreau's cottage he built himself, a lithographic map of Waldon Pond, and with a bookseller's ticket on the front free endpaper "Sold by A. Stacy, Bookseller, Concord, MA." Bookseller John Stacy also served as the librarian to the library housed in back of his store in Concord's Mill Dam business district. The library was owned jointly and used by several shareholders including Ralph Waldo Emerson who served one term as president. John Stacy's son Albert succeeded him in 1850. While the bookseller's ticket states "Sold by" Albert never sold the book in his shop, however when Walden was published, he purchased a copy for $0.75 presumably for the library. In his book, Thoreau writes "One of my greatest luxuries has been in books., good books I value beyond most all else in the world of earthly treasures, after my family." Bound in publishers brown embossed cloth, spine lettered in gilt, pale yellow endpapers, light wear to spine ends and corners, two signatures a bit sprung. In all, a handsome clean copy housed within a custom leather backed clamshell.
Seller: Alcuin Books, ABAA/ILAB, Scottsdale, AZ, U.S.A.
THOREAU, Henry D[avid]. Walden; or, Life in the Woods. Ticknor and Fields, Boston, 1854.
Price: US$8000.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: 12mo. Pp. 357. Vignette title page. With the engraved map of Walden Pond opposite p. 307, with imprint appearing clearly. Marbled endpapers. Top edge gilt. Bound, without ads, in late 19th or early-20th century brown morocco, neatly rehinged, with gilt lettering on spine that has five raised bands. Corners worn. An elegant binding, handsomely restored. Housed in a smart clamshell case, quarter brown pebble grain morocco over brown cloth, gilt lettering and blindstamp devices on spine with raised bands. The first printing of the first edition, without the publisher ads, listed as the first citation by Borst (Henry David Thoreau A Descriptive Bibliography). A cornerstone of American literature. BAL 20106; Borst A2.1.a; GROLIER American 100, 63. Full leather in Leather Clamshell Case
Seller: Long Brothers Fine & Rare Books, ABAA, Seattle, WA, U.S.A.
THOREAU, Henry David. Walden: Or, Life in the Woods. Ticknor & Fields, Boston, 1854.
Price: US$8000.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: Vignette on title page. 8vo, handsomely rebound in full light brown morocco with dark brown spine labels & raised bands. Boston: Ticknor & Fields, 1854. First Edition. With ads dated June, 1854 (no priority). An attractive copy of high point in American literature
Seller: Argosy Book Store, ABAA, ILAB, New York, NY, U.S.A.
THOREAU, Henry David. Walden: Or, Life in the Woods. Ticknor & Fields, Boston, 1854.
Price: US$8000.00 + shipping
Description: Vignette on title page. 8vo, handsomely rebound in full light brown morocco with dark brown spine labels & raised bands. Boston: Ticknor & Fields, 1854. First Edition. With ads dated June, 1854 (no priority). An attractive copy of high point in American literature
Seller: Argosy Book Store, ABAA, ILAB, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden; or, Life in the Woods. Ticknor and Fields, Boston, 1854.
Price: US$10000.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: Octavo, 357pp, [3], [8pp], [1]. Full black morocco. Five raised bands, title in gilt on spine. Touch of sunning to spine. Top edge gilt with gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers. Bound by Zaehnsdorf of London for A.C. McClurg & Co. of Chicago, with imprint on second endpaper. Solid text block, free of foxing or notations. Includes map of Walden Pond inserted after Page 306, with S.W. Chander & Bro. imprint along bottom edge. Eight pages of publisher's advertisements at rear of volume, dated "April, 1854" with no priority stated in BAL. Original cloth covers and spine bound in at rear. (BAL 20106) (Borst A2.1.a) (Grolier American 63). This American classic is scarce seen in its first edition form. The publisher, Ticknor and Fields, only published 2,000 copies for the initial run.
Seller: The First Edition Rare Books, LLC, Cincinnati, OH, U.S.A.
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden, or Life in the Woods. Ticknor and Fields, Boston, 1854.
Price: US$11500.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: First edition. Ads dated May 1854, preceding the publication of the book that August; no priority as per BAL 20106. Map has faint S.W. Chandler & Bro. imprint. 357, 8 [ads] pp. with map facing p. 307. Publisher's blind-stamped brown cloth with gilt lettering to spine, original yellow endpapers.Very Good. Cloth skillfully refurbished, restoring wear at the head and foot; cloth rubbed but generally sound, hinges uncracked, a sporadic small stain in the upper margin of the book; some toning, wave, and scattered foxing to contents. A nice copy of the classic nature study.
Seller: Burnside Rare Books, ABAA, Portland, OR, U.S.A.
THOREAU Henry David. Walden. , 1854.
Price: US$13500.00 + shipping
Description: "THOREAU, Henry David. Walden; Or, Life in the Woods. Boston: Ticknor & Fields, 1854. Octavo, original brown cloth. $13,500.First edition of this important American classic, one of only 2000 copies published."Thoreau's Walden occupies a special place in our American heritage. Moreover, the book is still alive and vibrant, and it reaches out to touch the life of each one of us who is receptive it has come to be thought a central document in the American experience" (Thorpe, Treasures of the Huntington Library). "For almost a hundred years an inspiration to nature-lovers, to philosophers, to sociologists and to persons who love to read the English language written with clarity" (Grolier, 100 American, 63). With lithographed map of Walden Pond facing page 307; advertisements at rear dated April 1854. BAL 20106. Myerson A2.1.a. Johnson 73. Magazine photograph of a bust of Thoreau tipped-in opposite title page.Interior generally clean with closed marginal tears to two leaves (165-68), two locations with offsetting from pressed leaves (38-9, 82-83); expert restoration to cloth spine ends. A very attractive copy."
Seller: Bauman Rare Books, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.
Thoreau, Henry D. Walden , or Life in the Woods. Ticknor and Fields, Boston, 1854.
Price: US$15000.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: 357p octavo illustrated with a map facing p 307 (bearing the faint Chandler imprint). Two sets of advertisements, both dated May 1854 and both inserted by the publisher between the paste-downs and the flyleaves (Per BAL there is no priority for the advertisements, as the book was not published until August, and thus books with ads dated from April through August would have been available contemporaneously). A fresh clean copy in the publisher's brown cloth, very near fine indeed. Small expert repair to the crown. Contents clean, crisp and bright, with no foxing. Sharp corners. Attractive early 20th century bookplate of a New England collector on the front paste-down. Small, neat contemporary owner's name on the front free endpaper, else unmarked. A beautiful example of one of the most important books of the 19th century, one of just 2000 copies printed BAL 20106. Grolier American 63
Seller: Old New York Book Shop, ABAA, Atlanta, GA, U.S.A.
Thoreau Henry David. WALDEN, Or, Life In the Woods. Boston Ticknor and Fields 1854, 1854.
Price: US$17050.00 + shipping
Description: First Edition, First Printing of this cornerstone work of American literature, the ads dated "June 1854" with no bibliographical significance as noted by BAL, though these were printed prior to the July 1854 publication of the book. Illustrated with the map of Walden Pond printed on a separate leaf and inserted at p. 306, and with a vignette illustration to the title-page showing Thoreau's house in the woods at Walden Pond. 8vo, in the publishers original ribbed brown cloth lettered in gilt and ruled in blind on spine, bordered and decorated in blind on all covers with small floral designs coming in from the corners towards a large central floral scrollwork, pale yellow flies and endpapers. Now housed in a light brown cloth-covered folding case and with wrap around chemise, the spine of the case with a dark brown morocco label lettered in green. 357, [8 ads (dated June 1854)] pp. A especially handsome copy indeed, one of the nicest we've seen in quite some while, internally fine and very fresh, crisp and clean, a few spots on the title-page only, otherwise completely free of any signs of foxing or staining. The binding in unusually fine condition, rarely found as such, the cloth is deep and dark brown with no fading whatsoever, the gilt on the spine uncommonly bright, sharp and neat corners and edges, a few minor spots barely noticeable, just a hint of very minor rubbing at the head and tail of the spine, in all an exceptional copy. Very tidy ownership stamp of Arthur Holland on the blank front free-fly. HIGHLY IMPORTANT FIRST EDITION OF A SEMINAL WORK IN AMERICAN LITERATURE. "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." WALDEN has taken its place as one of the most important pieces of American literature and a highlight of American thought. In attempting an experiment in simple living Thoreau became the embodiment of the American quest for the spiritual over the material; and his book, ostensibly a simple record of his experiment, has earned the reputation as a work of great philosophical import. Walden is part personal declaration of independence, social experiment, voyage of spiritual discovery, satire, and manual for self-reliance. By immersing himself in nature, Thoreau hoped to gain a more objective understanding of society through personal introspection. Simple living and self-sufficiency were Thoreau's other goals, and the whole project was inspired by transcendentalist philosophy, a central theme of the American Romantic Period. As Thoreau made clear in his book, his cabin was not in the wilderness, but at the edge of town, only about two miles from his family home.
Seller: Buddenbrooks, Inc., Newburyport, MA, U.S.A.
Henry David Thoreau. Walden: or, Life In The Woods. Ticknor and Fields, Boston, 1854.
Price: US$17800.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: FIRST EDITION, Walden: or, Life In The Woods, by Henry David Thoreau. Published by Ticknor and Fields, Boston, 1854 CONDITION: Very Good, First edition. Ads dated September 1854; no priority as per BAL 20106. Includes Map of Walden Pond by Thoreau. Publisher's blind-stamped brown cloth with gilt lettering to spine, original yellow endpapers. A Very Good copy in original form. Gilt remains bright, and clear. Some fade marks on cover, and periodic spots on pages throughout volume; minimal foxing. Some bending on front cover. Binding is tight with a few internal cracks not affecting structure. More photos available upon request.
Seller: Barrow Bookstore, Concord, MA, U.S.A.
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden, or Life in the Woods. Ticknor & Fields, Boston, 1854.
Price: US$25000.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: First Edition, First Printing. A spectacular copy with the earliest ads dated April, 1854. The book is bound in the publisher's brown cloth and is in excellent condition. The binding is tight with NO cocking or leaning and the boards are crisp. The pages are clean, with NO writing, marks or bookplates in the book. A superb copy housed in a custom clamshell slipcase for preservation. We buy Thoreau First Editions.
Seller: Magnum Opus Rare Books, Missoula, MT, U.S.A.
THOREAU, Henry D.. Walden; or, Life in the Woods. , 1854.
Price: US$27500.00 + shipping
Description: THOREAU, Henry D. Walden; or, Life in the Woods. Original blind-stamped cloth. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1854. First edition. BAL 20106. Grolier American 100, 63. With advertisements dated June 1854. With a period as final punctuation on the spine imprint. A fine copy.
Seller: G.S. MacManus Co., ABAA, Bryn Mawr, PA, U.S.A.
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden; or, Life in the Woods. Ticknor and Fields, Boston, 1854.
Price: US$28000.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: First edition, first printing. An absolutely magnificent copy in publisher's brown cloth binding decorated in blind with titles in gilt on spine, with 8 pages of ads at rear dated September, 1854. Near Fine with softening to spine ends, light wear to corners and several faint scratches to the front and rear cover, gilt stamping on spine is very bright and sharp. Abrasions to front and rear paste downs, where at the front it appears perhaps someone tried to efface a former owner's name. One page gathering sits a bit proud in what appears to be a binder's error where sewing was missed at the bottom stab holes. Housed in a custom slipcase. A very fresh and unrestored copy in the original cloth, which has a luster that very few extant copies still retain.
Seller: Burnside Rare Books, ABAA, Portland, OR, U.S.A.
THOREAU, Henry David.. Walden; or, Life in the Woods.. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1854, 1854.
Price: US$32069.04 + shipping
Description: First edition. This pivotal work of nature writing was a back-to-nature classic which made Thoreau one of the prophets of the early American environmental movement; one of 2,000 copies printed. This is a lovely copy in the original cloth. "The writing of Walden, completed after Thoreau's 1847 return to Concord, was an extended process in which Thoreau worked through seven drafts. Midway through the composition, in the early 1850s, Thoreau underwent an intellectual reorientation that can be described as a conversion from poet-philosopher to naturalist-scientist. He devoted effort to his Journal as a record of nature observation during his daily hikes. The gathering and organization of the particular facts of natural history gradually became his principal task until his death in 1862. The recent discovery that Thoreau's seasonal records could serve as a source for the scientific measurement of climate change has brought a new attention to the value of his later natural history investigations, showing him as a naturalist fully in step with the developments of 19th-century science" (Robinson). This copy has advertisements dated May 1854. The earliest date of advertisements is April 1854, but the book was not published until 12 July 1854 and there is no priority of issue; other advertisements are dated as late as September 1855, although BAL states that these are of "no known bibliographical significance". Nevertheless, some collectors prefer copies with the pre-publication advertisements, as here. From the library of the American outdoorsman and passionate amateur lepidopterist Richard Bayard Dominick, with his bookplate on the front free endpaper. Dominick has commemorated a visit to Walden Pond by preserving two oak leaves inside the custom jacket with his notes. Inside the front panel, he has noted "Bracken from Walden - July 1960. We took the Children to see Walden - The Woods are still quiet & lovely - Now a Mass. State park, many visitors come fishing & picknicking - RBD". Inside the rear panel, he has captioned an "oak leaf from Walden Pond - July, 1960, RBD". BAL 20106; Borst A2.1.a; Grolier American 100, 63. David M. Robinson, "Henry David Thoreau", Oxford Bibliographies, available online. Octavo. Original brown ribbed cloth, spine lettered in gilt, large decorative device within panels in blind to covers, pale yellow endpapers, 8-page publisher's catalogue, dated May 1854, bound between rear endpapers. Housed in a custom cloth jacket, spine lettered in gilt on red morocco label, and leather-entry slipcase. Wood-engraved title page vignette of Thoreau's hut, chart of Walden Pond facing p. 307. With 8 pp. advertisements at rear dated May 1854. Bookseller's ticket of A. Stacy, Concord, on front free endpaper. Spine ends bumped with slight wear, light bump to top edge of rear board, covers a little rubbed with a few marks; jacket roughly cut, spine panel just cracking at centre, leaves on verso professionally re-affixed, small marks where previously taped; slipcase rubbed with a little wear at entry. An excellent copy.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom