The Bells: A Collection Of Chimes

T. B. A. (Thomas Bailey Aldrich)

Published by J. C. Derby, New York, 1855

About this Item

This was Thomas Bailey Aldrich's first book, published when he was 18 or 19 years old. It appears to be a First edition. 1854 is the only date on the copyright page, 1855 is on the title page. However, all of the few other copies for sale were also published in 1855 and are being identified as first editions. There are no books for sale that were published in 1854, so it is very likely that this 1855 edition was the first as the others are asserting. One would also expect a small printing given the genre and the author's age. Most of the few other copies for sale are priced much higher than mine. You can see the covers in the photos. They are very clean. There is a slight bit of color fade in a few places. There are small losses of the spine ends. The gilt lettering on the abbreviated title (The Bells) is somewhat faded but legible. There is a little chip on the rear side of the spine. There are a few areas on the cover edges where there is a sliver of rub-through. All four corners have spots of rub-through, the bottom ones more so. The spine has a slight to moderate forward lean, but the book is very solidly bound from cover to cover. There is one instance of a thin space between two facing pages, but each of the five Threaded binding spots at the juncture are intact and both pages are tightly bound from top to bottom. I think the book was just left lying open between these two pages. The covers are nicely, tightly bound. The interior of the book is in pretty nice shape. There are eleven consecutive pages with a crease below their top corner, not reaching the print. It looks like something pressed down there. They are not placeholder creases. I'm not seeing any other creasing. Many of the pages have a few very tiny tan circular spots, they look like tiny stars in the faraway sky. I have provided a photograph of what would be typical. I'm not seeing any more typical soiling anywhere. There are no markings in the book. There are no attachments of any kind. And no one has written their name or anything else anywhere. 'Thomas Bailey Aldrich was an American writer, poet, critic, and editor. He is notable for his long editorship of The Atlantic Monthly, during which he published writers including Charles W. Chesnutt. He was also known for his poetry and for his semi-autobiographical book The Story of a Bad Boy which established the 'bad boy's book' subgenre in nineteenth-century American literature.'.

Seller Inventory # 005616

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Bells: A Collection Of Chimes
• Publisher: J. C. Derby, New York
• Publication Date: 1855
• Language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Printing: 1st Printing
• Condition: Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • First Book, First Novel
  • Poetry
  • Antiquarian