LONGFELLOW, Henry Wadsworth — Tales of a Wayside Inn

Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1863. The First Appearance of "Paul Revere's Ride" Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Tales of a Wayside Inn. First State in Remarkable Condition LONGFELLOW, Henry Wadsworth. Tales of a Wayside Inn. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1863. First edition, first state, with the following issue points: p. 125, verse 3 reading "Whistled saying.."; p. 174, verse 4 up reading "His only pastime..". Small octavo (7 1/8 x 4 5/8 inches; 181 x 117 mm.). [2, blank], viii, 225, [2, blank], 22 pp. publisher's catalogue, [2, blank]. Inserted pictorial half-title. Publisher's purple ribbed cloth, covers ruled in blind, spine lettered in gilt, brown coated endpapers, top edge gilt. A neat early ink inscription on the front blank. Spine very slightly mellowed, with only the most minimal wear at the spine ends. An exceptionally fresh, bright, and well-preserved copy - quite possibly among the finest examples we have handled. The advertisements are of the second printing, with Tales of a Wayside Inn priced at $1.25. First published in this collection is Longfellow's enduring narrative poem "Paul Revere's Ride," (pp. 18-25) one of the most celebrated works in 19th-century American literature. With its driving rhythm and vivid storytelling, the poem transformed a relatively obscure episode of the American Revolution into a defining national legend. Its famous opening - "Listen, my children, and you shall hear.." - has secured its place in the cultural memory, ensuring that Tales of a Wayside Inn remains one of Longfellow's most historically resonant and widely recognized works. Copies of Tales of a Wayside Inn in original cloth are regularly encountered on the market; however, examples in such notably fresh and well-preserved condition are decidedly uncommon. BAL 12136. .