Les Oeuvres Galantes et Amoureuses D'Ovid
Hard Cover. London: [s.n.], 1786. Very Good.
Two volumes. Both volumes inscribed by Hawthorne to Longfellow on front flyleaves: "Nath. Hawthorne / to / H. W. Longfellow / 1841" (Vol. I) and "H. W. Longfellow / from / Nath. Hawthorne / 1841" (Vol. II). Both volumes additionally inscribed on front flyleaves by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Dana, the grandson of both Longfellow and Richard Henry Dana Jr. (author of Two Years Before the Mast, 1840), to Manning Hawthorne, Hawthorne's great-grandson, exactly one hundred years after initial inscription: "Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Dana / to / Manning Hawthorne / 1941." Both volumes finely bound in contemporary brown calf, boards bordered in gilt, spines decorated, ruled, and lettered in gilt, with black leather labels, gilt turn-ins, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers, frontispiece portrait of Ovid by Marillier to Vol. I, bookplates of H. W. Longfellow and modern owner to front pastedowns. Very good set, with corners worn to boards, some wear to edges of Vol. I boards, some chipping to heads of spines, some wear to joints, a bit of separation to front joint of Vol. II, small loss to top of front flyleaf in Vol. I, light cracking to surface of spine calf, and some light marginalia in pencil to pages in Vol. I. Overall, an incredible association signifying the close friendship between two profoundly influential American authors. Housed in a custom black leather clamshell box. Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's (1802-1887) relationship began at Bowdoin College, where the two were classmates and graduated together in 1825. However, their first important interaction came twelve years later, shortly after Hawthorne published his short story collection, Twice-Told Tales (1837). It was then that Hawthorne sent a copy of the book to Longfellow, hoping that he would review the work. Longfellow responded by writing a glowing fourteen-page review of the book in the North American Review, in which he claimed, "To this little book, we would say, 'live ever sweet, sweet book.' It comes from the hand of a man of genius." This was the beginning of a long and intimate friendship between the two authors. Notably, Longfellow credited Hawthorne with giving him the story of Evangeline. Hawthorne first heard the story about the expelled Arcadian lovers from a friend in Salem, Reverend Horace Conolly, but declined to use it, telling Conolly, "It is not in my vein; there are no strong lights and heavy shadows." Longfellow gained permission from Hawthorne to use the story in 1843 and published his epic poem "Evangeline" four years later. The poem was an enormous success and cemented Longfellow as the most popular American poet of the 19th century. Their communication began to diminish in 1861, when Longfellow's wife, Frances Appleton, died tragically, causing Longfellow to withdraw from society, and Hawthorne became increasingly ill. In May 1864, Hawthorne passed away, and Longfellow served in the funeral as a pallbearer. In remembrance of the author and the funeral day, Longfellow penned the poem "Hawthorne," which begins with the stanza, "How beautiful it was, that one bright day / In the long week of rain! / Though all its splendor could not chase away / The omnipresent pain."
Item #NHHWL001
Price: $60,000.00
