99, 100
100 IRVING, Washington. The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. No. V. New York: C. S. Van Winkle, 1819 CREATING CHRISTMAS IN AMERICA First edition of the fifth of Irving’s Sketch Books , unrestored in the original wrappers. It marks the first appearance of the story “Old Christmas”, “often credited with creating Christmas in America as we know it” ( NEH ); “Among [Irving’s] major contributions to Christmas in America was his promotion of St. Nicholas as a beloved character, laying the groundwork for the figure we’d eventually embrace as Santa Claus” ( NEH ). Before this, Americans had disparate practices and traditions for the holiday, shaped in part by their immigrant heritage as well as by puritanical bans against excessive celebrating and drinking. Irving helped consolidate the nation
around rituals, images, and ideas now common today. “Charles Dickens later fine-tuned the Christmas story, but Irving laid the foundation. Americans embraced Irving’s vision of Christmas as their own” (ibid.). There are no distinguishing textual points to distinguish printings for part V (unlike other parts in the Sketch Book ); copies are found in either tan or grey wrappers without known priority, and in some copies an advertisement leaf was apparently inserted by the bookseller M. Thomas, again not indicative of priority. Octavo. Uncut in original tan printed wrappers. Housed in brown cloth chemise within brown morocco-entry slipcase. Old bookseller’s description of James F. Drake loosely inserted in chemise. Neat contemporary ownership signature to front wrapper. Wrappers very fresh, light foxing to contents as usual with minor dampstaining at extremities, pp. 347–50 a little loose, speck of worming to title page. An excellent, unrestored copy. ¶ BAL 10106. £3,000 [152019]
from other copies, are often found with some restoration or rebacking. Copies like the present, even acknowledging the wear, are consequently particularly desirable. The first printing of the text is distinguished by a blank terminal leaf (printed with a “Note” on the penultimate page for the second printing), the imprint reading “Greenwich-street” rather than “Greenwich-Street”, and the last line of the copyright notice reading “of designing” rather than “ving, and etching”. For the third and following printings, the date on the title page was altered. Octavo. Uncut in original printed wrappers. Housed in brown cloth chemise within brown morocco-entry slipcase. Old bookseller’s description of James F. Drake loosely inserted in chemise. Ownership signature to title page dated 13 July 1819 (three weeks after publication), bookseller’s label to front wrapper of M. Thomas of Philadelphia (who was a publisher of numbers VI and VII). Spine worn and splitting, still holding, contents foxed, notwithstanding, a very good, unrestored copy. ¶ BAL 10106. £7,500 [152017]
All items are fully described and photographed at peterharrington.co.uk
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