Howells William Dean 1837 1920 Atlantic (1 results)

Two volume set featuring full twelve month run for 1880 of The Atlantic Monthly. Each hardcover, H 24.5cm x L 16.25cm, uniformly bound in half-leather bindings - black leather spines and black cloth boards with black leather corners; both volumes with bindery tickets "Keim, Roesli & Co., | Book Binders | and | Blank Book Manf. | 314 Olive St., St. Louis." on front pastedown of XLV and on rear pastedown of XLVI. Bindings are likely quite contemporary to the volumes as Keim, Roesli & Company is listed in an 1879 St. Louis city directory. Spines decorated with four slightly raised bands and gilt stamping with latter having some flaking loss but otherwise still bright; both volumes have slender shallow leather loss at both their lower and upper front and rear joints but bindings remain firm. Edges toned with a few small stains; past owner's name in pencil at top of each volumes' page 1; mild toning and occasional light foxing to interior leaves. VOLUME XLV JAN.-JUNE 1880: i-iv, 1-860 pages; wide swath of strong surface abrasion to front board with slender area of similar abrasion at fore-edge area of rear board; cloth loss at board edges too with rear board's bottom leather corner worn; pages 149-182 have shallow dings/short tears at their bottom margins. VOLUME XLVI JULY-DEC. 1880: i-iv, 1-868 pages; nicks to spine head; faint dark mottling to rear board; strong slender abrasion at both boards' bottom leather corners. Still an attractive set despite first volume's marred exterior cloth. Whereas bookseller tickets for 19th century St. Louis are not too unusual, contemporary bookbindery tickets are quite uncommon. The two volumes feature contributions by Mark Twain, William Dean Howells, Robert Louis Stevenson, Thomas Bailey Aldrich, John Burroughs, John Greenleaf Whittier, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes [Sr], among many others. Please note that this set has an approximate shipping weight of 6.5 pounds (2.94 kg) and will require additional postage for any postal class other than domestic Media Mail.