1876 Rare First Edition - The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll, Illustrated
Author: Lewis Carroll. Illustrated by Henry Holiday.
Title: The Hunting of the Snark: An Agony, in Eight Fits.
Publisher: London, Macmillan and Co., 1876. First Edition.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 7.5" x 5".
Pages: xi, 83 pages + publisher's advertisements.
Binding: Very good original publisher's pictorial cream cloth binding decorated in black after designs by Henry Holiday, all edges gilt. Light wear and rubbing, with some light loss and wear at the lower portion of the spine as shown. A small, light vertical crease is present on the rear cover. Despite these minor flaws, the binding remains remarkably bright, clean, and attractive. Protected in a removable mylar cover.
Content: Very good content. Complete with all nine illustrations by Henry Holiday, including the celebrated blank "Ocean-Chart." Pages are clean and well-preserved with only light age toning. Bookplate of the renowned American collector Beverly Chew affixed to the front pastedown.
Illustrations: Complete with nine illustrations by Henry Holiday, including the frontispiece and the famous blank map, one of the most memorable visual jokes in Victorian literature.
Estimate: (USD $500–700).
The book: First published in 1876, The Hunting of the Snark stands among Lewis Carroll's most celebrated works outside the Alice books. This extraordinary nonsense poem recounts the voyage of an eccentric crew in search of the mysterious Snark, a creature whose nature remains delightfully elusive. Beneath its playful absurdity lies a work of remarkable linguistic invention, philosophical ambiguity, and literary sophistication. The poem introduced enduring expressions into popular culture and remains one of the masterpieces of Victorian nonsense literature. The striking publisher's binding, designed around Henry Holiday's illustrations, is widely regarded as one of the finest decorative cloth bindings of the nineteenth century.
The author: Lewis Carroll (1832–1898), the pen name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, was an English author, mathematician, logician, and photographer. Best known for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, Carroll transformed children's literature through his imaginative blend of fantasy, logic, satire, and wordplay. His works continue to influence writers, artists, and scholars throughout the world.
The illustrator: Henry Holiday (1839–1927) was a distinguished English painter, stained-glass designer, and illustrator associated with the Pre-Raphaelite circle. His illustrations for The Hunting of the Snark are inseparable from the text and include some of the most iconic images in Victorian fantasy literature. Holiday worked closely with Carroll during the book's production, helping create one of the most visually memorable literary collaborations of the nineteenth century.
Provenance: Beverly Chew (1850–1924), whose bookplate appears in this copy, was one of America's most distinguished collectors of rare books and manuscripts. A prominent New York lawyer and bibliophile, Chew assembled an exceptional library rich in English literature and fine printing. Copies from his collection are highly desirable and add a notable provenance to an already important first edition.