Notable Authors Subject Guide
This Subject Guide collects a majority of the notable authors found in the Rare Books Room.
The Journal of Julius Rodman [PS2618 .J6 1947]
By Edgar Allen Poe.
The 1947 edition was the first publication of this unfinished serial novel that Poe wrote in 1840.
Louisa May Alcott: Her Life, Letters, and Journals [PS1018 .A3 1889]
By Ednah D. Cheney.
Published the year after Louisa May Alcott’s death.
Available online through archive.org and gutenberg.org.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club [PR4569 .A1 1838]
By Charles Dickens.
First American Illustrated edition.
The Pickwick Papers were published as a serial throughout 1836-1837, and first published in book form starting in 1838 in Britain and America.
The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain [PR4572 .H3 1848]
By Charles Dickens.
First edition, published in London in 1848. This was the last of Dickens’ five novellas and related back to the themes of A Christmas Carol.
The Man in White [PS3553 .A7937M3 1986]
By Johnny Cash.
This is the second novel written by Cash, featuring a story of the Apostle Paul.
This copy is autographed by Cash.
Celebrated Crimes [HV6211 .D8 1895a]
By Alexandre Dumas, author of The Three Musketeers.
This translated edition is also illustrated.
Fabian Essays in Socialism [HX246 .F12 1889]
By George Bernard Shaw and others, edited by Shaw.
This series of essays was written and published by the Fabian Society.
Edition published in New York and London. No publishing date, but a previous seller estimated the date to be possibly 1908. This is unconfirmed, and the front cover design was used for the 1889 and 1894 editions, so it is likely that it is one of these two editions.
Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry [GR153.5 .Y4 1888]
Edited by WB Yeats.
First edition and first UK edition.
Dictionnaire Philosophique (The Philosophical Dictionary for the Pocket) [B42 .V6 1796].
By Voltaire; originally in French, but our copy is translated into English.
This copy was printed in New York due to the popularity of French theorists in the United States.
Translations and Tomfooleries [PR5363 .A6 1926]
By George Bernard Shaw. Printed in London in 1926.
Ours is a first edition. The dust jacket was removed for preservation and is in archival storage.
Man and Superman [PR5363 .M3 1962a]
By George Bernard Shaw. Illustrated by Charles Mozley and introduced by Lewis Casson.
This edition is modeled after the “Limited Editions Club” version, but was not published as part of that set (though it is formatted exactly the same, all the way to the custom box and handbook).
Also within the book box is a pamphlet called “The Revolutionist’s Handbook.” Its storage is relatively secure within the box, as there is a niche specifically for the handbook.
The Lord of the Isles: A Poem [PR5310 .A1]
By Sir Walter Scott (Ivanhoe). Published in Philadelphia in 1815.
This is the first American edition of the poem.
Memoirs of Jonathan Swift, D.D. [PR3726 .S36 1834]
Written by Sir Walter Scott.
Initially printed in Paris in 1826. Our edition is from Dublin in 1834.
The Poetical Works of Lord Byron...Complete in One Volume [PR4350 .E76 1876]
Contains the works of Lord Byron.
Though this bears the title of the original compilation of Lord Byron’s works, it is ultimately a reproduction. The original was published in the 1850’s and moved from London to New York. Our edition was published in Philadelphia in 1876.
The Works of Alexander Pope [PR3621 .W2 1787 vol. 1-6]
Printed by Walbourn in London.
Additions to the Works of Alexander Pope [PR3622 .C66 1776 vol. 1-2]
Printed in 1776 by H. Baldwin & etc.
First edition of this two-volume set.
A Key to Uncle Tom’s Cabin [E449 .S8961 1853b]
By Harriet Beecher Stowe. This book was published as a companion to Uncle Tom’s Cabin that confirmed the truth of the depiction of slavery in the novel.
The publication date is 1853, making it a first edition.
The Holly Tree and the Seven Poor Travellers [PR4572 .H72 1900]
By Charles Dickens. First edition, published in London with photogravure and illustrations.
Ranch Life and the Hunting-Trail [F596 .R788 1888]
By Theodore Roosevelt. This is a first edition, illustrated and published in New York.
American Individualism [HM136 .H6 1922]
By Herbert Hoover. First edition, signed by Hoover as a personal inscription (appears to be to R. Baker Hansen?).
The Book of Ahania [NE642 .B5 .A4 1973b]
By William Blake.
Facsimile with illustrations by Geoffrey Keynes.
The Beloved Returns [PT2625 .A44L63 1940]
By Thomas Mann, German author; translated by H.T. Lowe-Porter
First American Edition.
Mann was a German expatriate during World War II who spoke out against Naziism and criticized Hitler in radio broadcasts. He wrote many influential works and earned a Nobel Prize in Literature.
Mere Literature and Other Essays [PS3339 .W3M39 1913]
By Woodrow Wilson.
First edition published 1913.
The Crayon Miscellany [PS2060 .A1 1835 vol. 1]
By Washington Irving as Geoffrey Crayon (the pen name he used when publishing his iconic short stories in The Sketchbook, such as “Sleepy Hollow”).
First edition, volume 1 only.
Plays and Controversies [PR5904 .P4.7]
By WB Yeats.
Published in 1924 as a special limited run (no. 50 of 529) and signed by the author.
Basil Seal Rides Again [PR6045 .A97B3 1963]
By Evelyn Waugh, a notable British author during the early 20th century.
1963 limited edition.
Temple Gnidus [PQ2011 .A2 1889]
By the philosopher Montesquieu.
One of his lesser-known works, a special limited edition published in London.
The Poets and Poetry of Europe [PN6101 .L7 1845]
Compiled by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
First edition, includes biographical notes about the poets and some of the first translations of some poems.
The Journal of a Voyage to Lisbon [PR3454 .J7 1755]
By Henry Fielding (also featured on Notable Works). This journal was published following Fielding’s death in Lisbon in 1754. Due to multiple ailments, Fielding was sent to Lisbon in search of a cure, but he passed away and was buried there instead.
Our edition is a first edition, published in 1755 by A. Millar and appears to be the second version, which though written first was published second and appears to have been heavily revised (commonly thought in the past to be revised by Fielding’s brother, but scholars are still determining the intentions and result of these revisions).
The Life of Sir Thomas More [BQ6726 .Z6 .M68 1726]
By Thomas More Esq. (great-grandson of Sir Thomas More).
First edition of this account of Sir Thomas More’s life. Notable primarily for being a family account of Sir Thomas More’s life (More’s important work, Utopia, is on the Notable Works finding aid).
An Account of Colonel Crockett’s Tour [E165 .C92 1835]
By Davy Crockett.
This is a first edition of the account, published the year before Crockett’s death.
A Child’s Garden of Verses [PR5489 .C5 1899]
By Robert Louis Stevenson.
This was a book of poetry initially created for children, but was also widely enjoyed by parents. The poetry presents a positive light of Stevenson’s sickly childhood. This edition is a first edition of this run (the book was first published in 1885) and was printed on special paper with a limited set of 925 copies.
Mark Twain’s (Burlesque) Autobiography and First Romance [PS1331 .A2 1871a]
By Mark Twain.
First edition.
The Order of the Gospel Professed and Practiced by the Churches of Christ in New England [BX7230 .M26 1700]
By Increase Mather, of the notorious Salem Witch Trials.
Appears to be a first edition of this pamphlet.
A Journal of a Voyage from London to Savannah in Georgia [BX9225 .W4A23 1743]
By George Whitefield, one of the founders of Methodism and a preacher who was heavily involved in the Great Awakening in North America. His sermons impressed Benjamin Franklin, who published some of his tracts. He was one of the first churchmen to preach to enslaved African Americans, and Phillis Wheatley wrote a poem in his honor. He was also invited to preach in Jonathan Edwards’ church.
Our edition appears to include additional information included in later editions after multiple trips by Whitefield to Georgia.
The Life of Honorable William F. Cody Known as Buffalo Bill [F594 .C672 1879]
By Buffalo Bill, his autobiography.
This is a first edition of the first work written by Buffalo Bill.
The Nebraska Question [HT891 .P37 1854] [also in the Nebraska History Subject Guide]
By Theodore Parker, noted abolitionist and transcendentalist preacher prior to the American Civil War. Among his congregation were Louisa May Alcott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Parker was involved in early abolitionist and pro-women’s rights movements, but passed away right before the Civil War.
The Nebraska Question was written to discuss the issue of whether or not Nebraska should be a slave state or not, and Parker’s stance was anti-slavery. In the sermon, Parker gives a history of slavery in America and promotes democracy and equality amongst all people (including a section about equality between men and women). Our copy is a first edition.
English Hours [DA630 .J27 1905b]
By Henry James.
This is a first US edition, published in October of 1905. The book consists of travel essays that had previously been published in the 1870’s in periodicals, but were first compiled into a collection in 1905.
The Life of George Washington [E312 .R13 1807]
By David Ramsay. Ramsay was the first major historian of the American Revolution and published many works on the early days of the United States.
This edition is a first edition, and we also have a third edition in the collection [E312 .R13 1814].