[CALIFORNIA] [ZAMORANO 80] [DANA, Richard Henry, Jr.]

Two Years Before the Mast. A Personal Narrative of Life at Sea

New York: Harper and Brothers, 1840. First Edition. Generally accepted second printing (lacking the dot over the "i" in the copyright notice and with the broken running head on p.9). 12mo (15.5cm). In original brown publisher's cloth (BAL binding A), stamped in gilt on spine; plain endpapers; [1-3] 4-483pp. A desirable copy in the original binding, with a two-inch crack to the front joint, chips to head and tail, and gentle rubbing to boards; text mildly foxed; nonetheless stable and upright: Very Good.

#106 of the Harpers' Family Library. With contemporary ex-libris of Elizabeth Dodge and later gift inscription dated 1900. A memoir of Dana's time trading hides along the coast of California in the 1830s. Immediately popular, the work had a wide influence on American seafaring literature, including the work of Herman Melville, and is a rare and rich account of California before the Gold Rush (ANB, Zamorano 80). BAL 4434. ZAMORANO 80 #26. COWAN p. 156. SABIN 18448. GROLIER AMERICAN 100 #46. Cf. GRAFF 998.

Price: $1,750.00

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