1893 Rare Book - Poems. Second Series. By Emily Dickinson

Author: Emily Dickinson.
Title: Poems. Second Series.
Publisher: Boston, Roberts Brothers, 1893. Fifth Edition (stated).
Language: Text in English.
Size: 7 × 5 inches.
Pages: 230 pages.
Binding: Good publisher’s original grey-beige cloth, gilt-lettered on the upper cover with floral decoration (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown, gilt to spine faded - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. A very honest and attractive original binding.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing - as shown).  A contemporary ink ownership inscription dated “July 1893” is present on the front blank, adding a strong period association. 
Illustrations: Includes the facsimile of Dickinson’s manuscript poem “Renunciation”, as issued, along with typographic ornaments.

Estimate: (USD 1,200 – 1,600)

The book: Published in 1893, Poems. Second Series represents the continued posthumous unveiling of Emily Dickinson’s work, following the extraordinary reception of the first volume issued two years earlier. Edited by her friends Thomas Wentworth Higginson and Mabel Loomis Todd, this second series further shaped Dickinson’s early public legacy and played a crucial role in establishing her place within the American literary canon.

This copy is particularly appealing for its very early ownership inscription dated the year of publication, offering a tangible connection to the book’s original readership at the moment Dickinson’s poetry was first reaching a wider audience.

The author: Emily Dickinson (1830–1886) is now regarded as one of the most original and influential poets in the English language. Writing largely in isolation during her lifetime, Dickinson produced nearly 1,800 poems, characterized by their radical compression, unconventional punctuation, and profound emotional and philosophical depth. Her posthumous publications transformed modern poetry and continue to resonate with readers and scholars alike.