Two Years Before the Mast. A Personal Narrative of Life at Sea
New York: Harper & Brothers, 1840. First Edition, First State. Marbled paper over boards with leather spine and fore corners.. Sixteenmo. 483 pages.
A genuine American classic. Dana was a gifted observer and writer, and his memoir paints a colorful portrait of Mexican California in the 1830s, including the ports of San Diego, San Pedro (Los Angeles), Santa Barbara, Monterey, and San Francisco.
This copy bears the bookplate of Edward A. Towse (1905-1973), a native of Hawaii who served as a justice of the Supreme Court of the Territory from 1950-1956.
It is generally believed that there were two printings in 1840, the first of which is identified by a dotted "i" in the word "in" in the copyright notice and unbroken type in the running head on page 9. This copy has both of those issue points indicative of the first state of the first printing.
Ref. BAL 4434; COWAN p. 156; HOWES D49; SABIN 18448; ZAMORANO 26, etc.
Rebound in marbled paper over boards with leather spine and fore corners, with slight trimming to textblock. More recently rebacked. Rubs to extremities, some browning to endpapers. A nice copy of the rather uncommon first state of the first edition.
Item #2138
Price: $2,000