Webster, NoahABAA
7,441 results
1828ref. 140938425New York: S. Converse Printed by Hezekiah Howe New Haven 1828. First Edition. Very Good. First edition first printing. Complete in two volumes. Contemporary mottled calf with black morocco spine labels lettered in gilt with the "Additions and Corrections" leaf bound at the end of Volume II; November 28 Advertisement absent as is nearly always the case. Engraved frontis provided in sympathetic facsimile lacking tissue guard. Internally Very Good with offsetting and several instances of penciled marginalia. Previous owner name in light pencil on title page. One of only 2500 copies. An extremely important early declaration of American cultural identity which heralded the nation's linguistic independence from Britain inspiring the many dictionaries that to this day carry Webster's name. S. Converse, Printed by Hezekiah Howe, New Haven unknown books
1842ref. 309481New Haven: Published by the Author. Sold by Crocker & Brewster Boston etc. . Printed by B.L. Hamlen 1842. Second edition first octavo edition. Engraved portrait frontispiece to vol. I by Asher Brown Durand after Samuel F.B. Morse no printer's name given. lxxvi 938; 1004 pp. 2 vols. Large 8vo 10-1/2 x 6 7/8 inches; 269 x 174 mm. Contemporary speckled sheep contrasting morocco spine labels marbled endpapers marbled edges. Covers scuffed joints worn some light spotting to text some worming to vol. I not affecting text. Morse Samuel French B. Second edition first octavo edition. Engraved portrait frontispiece to vol. I by Asher Brown Durand after Samuel F.B. Morse no printer's name given. lxxvi 938; 1004 pp. 2 vols. Large 8vo 10-1/2 x 6 7/8 inches; 269 x 174 mm. A fine copy of the rare octavo edition of Webster's unabridged dictionary the last that Webster published before his death in 1843. This is the textually best edition published in Webster's lifetime incorporating his final revisions some 5000 new definitions and a preface and introduction "on the origin history and connection of the languages of western Asia and Europe with an explanation of the principles on which languages are formed." Skeel notes that 3000 copies of this edition were printed fewer than the 5 or 6 thousand that Webster wanted but more than the 2500 of the 1828 first edition. A prospectus Skeel 585 advertised the edition at $13 sheep and $14 calf gilt. The work was in the press for over a year; a note in Webster's hand on a copy in the Connecticut State Library states "First signature of this edition impressed Oct. 22 1839. Last sheet impressed January 30 1841 15 months & days." The edition sold slowly with nearly half of the run still in sheets at the time of Webster's death. An attractive copy bearing the ownership signatures of George W. Turner dated the year he bought the mansion and farm of Elmscourt now Elms Court in Natchez Mississippi. Skeel 586; cf. Grolier American 36; cf. PMM 291; cf. Sabin 102335. Provenance: George W. Turner of Elmscourt or Elms Court Natchez Mississippi inscription in both volumes dated 1842 Published by the Author. Sold by Crocker & Brewster, Boston, [etc.] ... Printed by B.L. Hamlen unknown books
1853ref. 39607Springfield Mass: George and Charles Merriam 1853. Large thick 4to pp. lxxxiv1366 1; full contemporary calf black morocco gilt spine label half of which is missing pink printed endpapers; front board detached crude tape repair perished considerable shelf wear leather badly scuffed edges rubbed and bumped exposing boards 1/2-inch losses to top and bottom of spine; contemporary bookseller's rubber stamp on front free endpaper occasional foxing text block mostly fine. George and Charles Merriam unknown books
1846ref. 621193New York: Harper & Brothers 1846. Hardcover. Good. Stated "revised edition with an appendix" the appendix with the copyright date of 1841. Thick octavo. xxiv 1079pp 1 ad. Full contemporary calf with a dark brown leather spine label with "Webster's Dictionary" in gilt. Boards and spine worn hinges cracked but largely sound and foxing and soiling throughout though all of the text remains perfectly legible good or better. The title page states "Abridged from the quarto edition of the author to which are added a synopsis of words differently pronounced by different orthoëpists and Walker's Key to the classical pronunciation of Greek Latin and Scripture proper names." Laid in is a selection of various 19th century ephemera: An advertisement for Hood's Compound Extract of Sarsaparilla the poem "Celestial Echoes" by A.J. Swarts an advertisement for Clarence C. DePuy Printer and Designer of Fine Memorial Cards Syracuse NY and more. Harper & Brothers hardcover books
1848ref. 44550Springfield: George and Charles Merriam 1848. First edition of the first Merriam-Webster dictionary; thick 4to pp. lxxxiv 1367; engraved frontispiece portrait after Samuel F.B. Morse; full original sheep black morocco spine label mostly perished; the whole quite scuffed and rubbed preliminaries foxed modern 1950s manuscript list of birthdays on rear endpapers; texblock very good and sound. Contemporary ownership inscriptions of Mrs. H. Booth on front free endpaper and frontispiece verso. Vancil p. 262. George and Charles Merriam unknown books
1848ref. 44590Springfield: George and Charles Merriam 1848. First edition of the first Merriam-Webster dictionary; thick 4to pp. lxxxiv 1367; engraved frontispiece portrait after Samuel F.B. Morse; full original sheep lacking spine label; the whole quite scuffed and rubbed preliminaries foxed with one soil spot; previous ownership signature on front flyleaf has been neatly cut out; texblock very good and sound. Vancil p. 262. George and Charles Merriam unknown books
1848ref. 31188Springfield: George & Charles Merriam 1848. First edition of the first Merriam-Webster dictionary; thick 4to pp. lxxxiv 1367; engraved frontispiece portrait after Samuel F. B. Morse slightly offset onto title page; full original sheep gilt lettered direct on spine; some rubbing and wear but sound. George & Charles Merriam unknown books
1841ref. 021534New Haven CT: Published by the author 1841. First Octavo Edition. Hardcover. Light scattered foxing; stain at bottom margin of first volume not affecting text. Covers rubbed with some loss of leather and staining to first volume; binding tight and firm. Very Good. Two royal octavo 7" x 10-1/2" volumes in contemporary calf leather with gilt-lettered black morocco spine labels marbled edges and endpapers. Illustrated with a frontispiece portrait. Webster's groundbreaking dictionary was originally published in New York in 1828 in a slightly larger format. Laid in is the Preface to the Revised Edition of 1847. PRINTING AND THE MIND OF MAN 291: "Webster was an ardent nationalist and he wanted to stress the political separation from Britain by the cultivation of a separate American language. Under the influence of his friend Benjamin Franklin he turned his attention to 'a reformed mode of spelling' and although he rejected the radical phonetic innovations proposed by Franklin he went far enough to give many printed American words a distinctive appearance." Published by the author hardcover books
1794ref. 61022Hartford: Hudson & Goodwin 1794. 12mo pp. 252; front cover perished back cover loosening; textblock a bit toned and lightly dampstained but textually complete. Webster's Reader was first published in 1785. After but two editions the title was changed to An American Selection Phila. 1787. Other 18th-century printings appeared in Albany Hartford Newport Boston and New York. Skeel notes: After this edition Hudson and Goodwin dropped "Connecticut" in their title but continued the numbering. They also discontinued dating their printings which makes placement difficult." Skeel 468; Evans 28039. Hudson & Goodwin unknown books
1793ref. 30221Boston: Isaiah Thomas and Ebenezer T. Andrews 1793. 239 1 pp with the portrait of Webster laid down on the inner front board. Text lightly toned binding very worn with spine chips and loosened hinges. Good. "Thomas and Andrews's Third Edition. With many Corrections and Improvements by the Author." It was originally published as the third part of Webster's Grammatical Institute of the English Language. Thomas and Andrews published sixteen 18th century printings of this work beginning in 1790. Evans 26443. Skeel 463. Isaiah Thomas and Ebenezer T. Andrews unknown books
1807ref. 10091716mo leather spine with blue paper covered boards 240 pp .Lacks endpapers binding worn and somewhat stained hinges tender but in tact foxing and staining throughout; good overall. Noah Webster 1758-1843 introduced his spelling books in 1783 and they would become the basic school book for children in early 19th century America. Revised many times by Webster it would teach generations of Americans how to read and spell. This work which is from the press of Isaiah Thomas and Ebenezer Andrews was from another series and designed to improve the minds of young people. It was also published in many editions. Isaiah Thomas and Ebenezer T. Andrews, books
1789ref. 64400Boston: printed for the author by Isaiah Thomas & Co 1789. First edition 8vo pp. 410 full orig. sheep neatly rebacked old spine laid down preserving the original red morocco label; extremities worn else a very good sound copy. A seminal work dedicated to Benjamin Franklin in which Webster puts forth for the first time the spirit of an American as opposed to a British English and particularly its orthography the reform of which grew out of his correspondence with Franklin. Evans 22259; Skeel 651. printed for the author by Isaiah Thomas & Co unknown books
1809ref. 2335752T. Dunning 1809. Hard Cover. Good/No Jacket. Boards rubbed with some loss pages stained and soiled ink name on front endpaper. 1809 Hard Cover. 218 pp. Volume 2 of 3. Leather spine marbled paper boards. American history and geography for children. Webster is of course most well-known for his work on what is now simply called Webster's Dictionary which solidified our modern idea of how a dictionary should be arranged. His works in general helped shape the course of American education. T. Dunning hardcover books
1806ref. 31181New Haven: from Sidney's Press for Increase Cooke 1806. Second edition 12mo pp. 224 2 table of contents; contemporary 1/4 sheep and drab paper-covered boards rubbed and worn at extremes but tight and firm text browning throughout with some spotting overall a good sound copy. The volume is divided into eight sections numbered 14 to 21 and continues the historical geographical agricultural and political discussions begun in volume I first published in 1802. The second edition of vol. II adds the text of Washington's Farewell Address. Josiah Meigs president of the University of Georgia praised both volumes in 1804 in a letter to his friend Webster: "I am much pleased with your manner of describing our North America. You have risen from the briars and brambles of detail and given us a luminous and comprehensive view of a WHOLE. I shall use my influence to introduce it into our schools. ." Skeel 545 see also Skeel 544. from Sidney's Press for Increase Cooke unknown books
1836ref. 34112New Haven 1836. 8vo 8pp. stitched as issued with 2 small corrections in the text in the hand of Noah Webster in red pencil and in ink as usual; fine copy. Skeel 751: "This pamphlet was printed but not published copies being given to each of Webster's children and grandchildren for the purpose of preserving the history of the family . and to correct an error in Dr. Trumbull's History of Connecticut." Surprisingly it is only the 11th printed genealogy of an American family. unknown books
1812ref. 12542New Haven: Published and sold by Howe & Deforest and Walter & Steele 1812. FIRST EDITION. Contemporary tree calf; head of spine chipped light scuffing to binding previous owner's signature on front free end-paper. First edition. Published and sold by Howe & Deforest, and Walter & Steele unknown books
ref. 124726Baltimore: Johns Hopkins. paperback. very good. Introductory essay by Benjamin Spector. 110pp. slim 8vo original printed wrappers; spine chipped. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press 1947. Very good. Supplements to the Bulletin of the History of Medicine No. 9.original printed wrappers Johns Hopkins unknown books
1802ref. 180701802. 1802 Webster Noah MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS ON POLITICAL AND COMMERCIAL SUBJECTS I An Address to the President of the United States II An Essay on the Rights of Neutral Nations III A Letter On the Value and Importance of American Commerce to Great Britain IV A Sketch of the History and Present State of Banks and Insurance Companies in the United States E Beldon and Co 1802 vii 228 48pp 8vo Half-leather over marbled paper boards marbled end pages leather spine with elaborate gold stampings upper edge gilt The book has been neatly rebacked in leather original spine laid down closed tear on rear marbled end paper carefully mended with archival tape lower corner tip of first marbled page missing chip on rear marbled page This book is lacking the title-page; the first blank page is present with the next page being the Preface page Howes W203 Overall an attractive Very Good leatherbound hardcover of a scarce title. unknown books
1970ref. 5004536NY: Johnson Reprint Corp. 1970. Bound in gold cloth stamped in red in matching dust jackets. A tight clean "as new" two volume set of this rare facsimile reprint of Webster's master work. Unpaginated -- but two massive volumes. Downright rare -- only 1 copy on OCLC. Introduction by Mario A. Pei. First Thus. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. Johnson Reprint Corp. Hardcover books
1839ref. 370306New Haven: Printed by S. Babcock 1839. First edition. 39 1pp. 12mo. Publisher's stitched wrappers upper wrapper chipped with minor losses. Minor foxing. First edition. 39 1pp. 12mo. "Language in man is next to reason the grand characteristic by which he is distinguished from the brutes" p. 3. Webster's oration largely concerns the field of etymology about which gives many examples concluding that the "evils proceeding from the improper use of words are greater than men generally suppose" p. 31. Scarce in commerce. Garner Taming the Tongue 88; Sabin 102371; Skeel 716 Printed by S. Babcock unknown books
1967ref. 19488New York: Frederick A. Praeger 1967. First edition 8vo pp. vii 1 184; 4 full-page illustrations included in pagination; jacket a little soiled and abraided else very good. Essays by Webster on the United States mostly political but some on cultural nationalism. Frederick A. Praeger unknown books
1801ref. 146541801. WEBSTER NOAH. The Prompter: A Commentary on Common Sayings and Subjects which are Full of Common Sense the Best Sense in the World. N.p.: Printed in the year 1801. 24mo. 86 p. A complete but rough copy lacking spine covering and rear board original front board damaged scattered dampstaining and occasional moderate browning fore-edge of D4-5 closely cropped but without loss. Neat contemporary printed book label of Elizabeth Van Liew on front pastedown and gift inscription to John P. Van Liew. A scarce early American printing of this great Webster favorite unrecorded in S&S. Skeel Noah Webster 681 records copies at MWA imperf IU and NNC. unknown books
1998ref. 44496New York: Random House 1998. 16mo pp. vi 376; lexicon in double column; wrappers in blue plastic dust jacket from the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum; small dampstain on top textblock fore-edge else fine. Signed by George H. W. and Barbara Bush with short note printed on the former president's office letterhead: "President Bush was happy to sign the enclosed item for your auction. It comes with his best wishes for a successful event. Random House unknown books
1937ref. 254783New York: Scholars' Facsimiles & Reprints 1937. hardcover. very good. Ed. by Harry R. Warfel. iii 48pp. 12mo brown boards. New York: Scholars' Facsimiles & Reprints 1937. Very good Facsimile of the Hartford 1785 edition. " .he Webster became one of the earliest advocates of a strong federal government and in 1785 printed his views in a pamphlet called Sketches of American Policy a pamphlet which won interest of Washington and Madison." Dictionary of American Biography XIX p. 595 Scholars' Facsimiles & Reprints unknown books
1828ref. 100584Small 8vo leather spine cloth with cardboard covers 168 pp. Spine ends chipped and worn front joint cracked and tender corners showing covers a little warped some aging browning and staining but internally in very good condition. Noah Webster 1758-1843 first introduced his spelling book in 1783 and it would become the basic schoolbook for children in early 19th century America. Revised many times by Webster it would teach generations of Americans how to read and spell. Robert H. Sherburne, books
