December 2020: Books Received as Gifts

As we approached the holiday season and its various gift giving traditions, Books Received as Gifts served as the topic for the December 2020 meeting.  One thing most book collectors seem to have in common, no matter how large their library, is a keen awareness of where, when and how they acquired each book and any significance that acquisition story may hold.  Gifted books hold special memories because of the importance of the occasion, the giver, the book itself, or, in many cases, all three. 

The order of this sampling of gifted books is chronological of the date of publication and is not an indication of the significance of the gift.  Each is special to the collector, which is why the collector selected it for this topic.

 

Title page of the 1611 King James Bible

Authorized Version.  The Holy Bible. Conteyning the Old Testament, and the New: Newly Translated out of the Originall Tongues: and with the Former Translations Diligently Compared and Revised, by his Majesties Speciall Commandement. Appointed to Be Read in Churches.  London: Robert Barker, 1611.  The editio princeps of the King James Bible, commonly known as the “Authorized Version.”  This is a complete copy, with all the points of the first issue of the first edition.  It is known as the "Great 'He' Bible” because of the rendering of Ruth 3:15 (the later folio editions were known as "Great 'She' Bibles" because of the pronoun change in the text).  This translation of the Bible, completed and printed in 1611, has been called the most influential book in English history and theology, and the "noblest monument of English literature."

First page of the Gospel of Matthew and map insert

The collector recalls: “In 1970 I was entering graduate school, playing the organ for two congregations every Sunday, teaching organ under a Graduate Teaching Assistantship, and working in the Music Library.  The library received a number of catalogs from booksellers, but most of them went directly into the trash, where I salvaged them for my own interest.  One such catalog came from the Leamington Book Shop, which was owned by Sidney Hamer.  There were several very nice early English Bibles listed, and I was so impressed with Mr. Hamer's descriptions and historical notes that I took the time to write him a note introducing myself and my early interest in English Bibles.  He responded in a few days, telling me that he was a professional musician and that his wife taught organ at the local college.  He also enclosed a copy of the "Old Version" of the English Psalms printed in 1620.  We became close friends over the next few years, and he became my mentor in book collecting.  Not only did he teach me so much, but also made many purchases available to me which I could not have afforded at the time.  He died in the mid-70s, and his own collection of Bibles was scheduled for auction in 1976 at Swann Auction Galleries in New York.  His most memorable gift to me was the bequest of his fine copy of the 1611 first printing of the King James Bible, a copy of which I could never have acquired on my own.  It remains 45 years later as the cornerstone of my collection of English Bibles.”

Coat of arms of James I of England, present on a preliminary leaf of
some, but not all, copies of the first printing of the King James Bible.

1639 King James Bible

Authorized Version.  The Holy Bible Containing the Old Testament and the New.  London: Robert Barker, 1639.  An early printing of the King James Version of the Bible, by Robert Barker, a printer to James I of England.  In a contemporary, likely original, binding with a morocco leather label added later.  The Bible is bound in suede, not leather, which is unusual for bindings of the period.  The spine is sun-faded with the napped fibers having fallen off; the front and rear covers retain most of the suede finish.

Title pages of the 1639 King James Bible (left) and New Testament (right)

The collector recalls: “The Bible was a gift from a friend and fellow collector.  When he gave it to me, he quipped, ‘I don’t need it. I already have a first edition!’”  [See 1611 copy above!]

Moby-Dick

Melville, Herman.  Moby-Dick; or, The Whale.  New York: Harper & Brothers, 1851.  First American Edition in the original cloth binding.  In very solid, clean condition with no marks or foxing on the pages throughout the book; copies of this book normally have foxing.

Title page of Moby-Dick

The collector recalls: “My greatest book gift.  In 1978 my Dad purchased this copy of Moby-Dick from a rare book dealer in New England for $850 and said, ‘Don't tell your Mom.’  For 20 years we kept that secret between us, and he would pull the book out now and then so we could admire it.  Fast forward to Christmas 1998, when he gave the book to me.  I was overwhelmed to be the proud owner of a first edition Moby-Dick.  Dad unfortunately passed away the following year before Christmas.  So, I have kept and treasured the book now for over another 20 years and watched in amazement as the value has climbed to over $40,000.  The moral of this little story is to always buy and hold the very best items you can afford.  First importance, that which gives you great joy and pleasure and second, maybe, just maybe, great appreciation to boot.”

Ultima Thule, signed by Longfellow

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth.  Ultima Thule.  Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1880.  First American edition.  A collection of poems, sonnets, and folk songs on a variety of subjects and life experiences.  The title for the volume, Ultima Thule, comes from the title of one of Longfellow’s poems contained therein.  Thule, in ancient Greek and Roman literature was the farthest north known location.  Ultima Thule, in Latin, is “final Thule” and came to represent the farthest of far places; it has become a symbol in literature of immense remoteness not only geographically but also emotionally.  This copy is signed and dated on a tipped in sheet to the front free end paper.  The book was a holiday gift from a fellow collector.

Horton Hears a Who!

Dr. Seuss. [Theodor Seuss Geisel]  Horton Hears a Who!  New York: Random House, 1954.  Early printing of the first edition, with dust jacket points differing from the first printing.  This book is the second appearance of Horton the Elephant, following Horton Hatches the Egg.  Geisel wrote Horton Hears a Who! in 1953 following a visit to Japan.  Geisel harbored strong ani-Japanese sentiments during World War II, but his views changed dramatically during his visit when he saw how the Japanese people honored each other in their interactions.  He saw how they valued each person as being important, a theme he expressed in Horton Hears a Who! as “a person is a person, no matter how small.”  The book was a holiday gift from a fellow collector.

May We Borrow Your Husband?

Greene, Graham.  May We Borrow Your Husband? And Other Comedies of the Sexual Life.  London: The Bodley Head, 1967.  First edition.  A collection of twelve short stories written in 1966 in Greene’s two-room apartment over the port of Antibes during a time he describes as “a single mood of sad hilarity.”  In his memoir Ways of Escape, Greene concludes that his short stories all contain humor because they were written as a form of escape; the stories in this collection were “an escape in humor from the thought of death.”  The book was a gift from the collector’s now-spouse for their first Christmas together, four months after they met (28 years ago).

The New York Review Quiz Book, signed by Edward Gorey

New York Review of Books.  The New York Review Quiz Book.  New York: Crown Publishers, 1986.  Illustrated by Edward Gorey.  First edition, only printing.  The book contains quizzes, word puzzles, and trivia about literature, compiled by the editors of the New York Review of Books.  Gorey illustrates the cover and the chapter titles.  The book is a desirable collectible by both bibliophiles and Gorey fans.  This copy is signed by Edward Gorey on the title page, in his usual manner of striking through his printed name and signing below.  A last-minute substitution for another Gorey book with a less certain gift history, this book was a thank you gift from a fellow collector.