WASHINGTON IRVING: LETTERS JONATHAN OLDSTYLE/ RARE 1824

Pricing & History

Sold for
Start Free Trial or Sign In to see what it's worth.
Sold Date
Source eBay

THREE BOOKS bound together:MIRANDOLA: A TRAGEDY. BY BARRY CORNWALL [BRYAN PROCTER]. London: John Warren, 1821. Second Edition. Rare. Together with: HALIDON HILL: A DRAMATIC SKETCH, FROM SCOTTISH HISTORY. BY SIR WALTER SCOTT. Edinburgh: Printed for Archibald Constable & Co., 1822. Second Edition. Scarce. Together with: LETTERS OF JONATHAN OLDSTYLE, GENT. BY THE AUTHOR OF THE SKETCH BOOK (WASHINGTON IRVING). WITH A BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE. London: Effingham Wilson, 1824. A collection of three very different but all important and rare literary works from the early 19th century all bound together. Perhaps most significant is the exceedingly rare First English edition of Washington Irving's earliest stories and sketches, published in the Morning Chronicle in 1802, when he was 19. These were evidently published without Irving's permission, inspired, no doubt, by the appearance of the Sketch Book. A fair portion of these letters related to the early New York theatre, Irving extending his commentary beyond just the plays and performers to the audience and critics as well; and with social commentary on New York marriages and othe social customs. Irving was embarrassed by these early juvenile writings, and he never agreed to their publication during his lifetime. So this 1824 work, published in London and New York, is the only appearance in book form of these letters during Irving's lifetime, and they now usually sell for $200 or more. Also bound into this book is an historic Scottish novel by Sir Walter Scott, published in Scotland in 1822. And a play by Bryan Procter who used the pseudonym Barry Cornwall. Each of these books usually sells for between $100 and $200. Published nearly 190 years ago, all three of these books are now rare and sought-after by collectors and none of them are likely to come up for sale often on ebay. From the Advertisement to Mirandola: "The fact of a father having married the lady betrothed to his son, occurred in the case of Philip the 2nd of Spain, and of D'Este, one of the Dukes of Ferrara. This fact I borrowed, as well as the circumstances of the father condemning his son to death. In other respects, the Tragedy is, as far as I know, original. The character of the sensitive Mirandola, more particularly, is unborrowed..."From Scott's Advertisement to Halidon Hill: "...It is designed to illustrate military antiquities, and the manners of chivalry...The subject is to be found in Scottish history...the unfortunate battle of Homildon. It would be proper to observe, that the scene of action has, in the following pages, been transferred from Homildon to Halidon Hill...A Scottish army was defeated by the English on both occasions, and under nearly the same circumstances of address on the part of the victors, and mismanagement on that of the vanquished, for the English long-bow decided the day in both cases..."From Irving's Biographical Notice of Letters: "...In the year 1802, Mr. Irving first attracted public notice by publishing in the 'Morning Chronicle' a series of sportive pieces under the signature of 'Jonathan Oldstyle'...They attracted a good deal of notice, and the 'Morning Chronicle' was eagerly sought for by the lovers of genuine native humour..." According to wikipedia: " The Letters of Jonathan Oldstyle, Gent. (1802) is a collection of nine observational letters written by American writer Washington Irving under the pseudonym Jonathan Oldstyle. The letters first appeared in the November 15, 1802, edition of the New York Morning Chronicle , a political-leaning newspaper partially owned by New Yorker Aaron Burr , and edited by Irving's brother, Peter. The letters were printed at irregular intervals until April 23, 1803. The letters lampoon marriage, manners, dress, and culture of early 19th century New York . They are Irving's debut in print. Irving's first Oldstyle le... read more

Items in the Price Guide are obtained exclusively from licensors and partners solely for our members’ research needs.

Flag item for content or copyright

If this item contains incorrect or inappropriate information please contact us here to flag it for review.

If you are the originator/copyright holder of this photo/item and would prefer it be excluded from our community, contact us here for removal.