PBA Galleries

357, [1 blank] + 8 ad pp. Wood-engraved vignette on title-page. Illustrated with a map of Walden Pond. (8vo) 18x11 cm (7x4¼"), original blind-stamped brown cloth, spine lettered in gilt. Housed in a custom drop-back box. First Edition.

First edition of one of the landmarks in American letters: "I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours" (p.346). The ads in this copy are dated May, 1854. BAL declares that the dates of the ads have "no known bibliographical significance". 2000 copies of the first edition were printed. BAL 20106. With the modern bookplate of J. Roy W. Barrette and the early ownership signature of Dr. J.H. Pugh. John Howard Pugh, a noted physician in Burlington, New Jersey, served as a Representative in the 45th Congress, 1877-1879. Provenance: Nick Rosen, author of "Off the Grid."