Excursions, by Henry D. Thoreau. Ticknor and Fields, 1863. Hardcover, 319 pp. FIRST EDITION. Borst A 3.1.a. 1500 bound copies were published in October 1863. Dark green-blue cloth with sawtooth pattern on covers, gilt letters and traditional publisher design on spine. The pages are not gilt edged but have a nice slight gloss to them. The most previous owner has kept a plastic sheath over the covers. The presumed first owner has an inscription on a front flyleaf, dated January 1864. This is the first book to contain Thoreau's portrait, which is an engraving based on the Samuel Rowse drawing. The tissue guard and the title page have tanned to match the illustration. Otherwise, the pages are remarkably clean for a book of this age, although a slight watermark appears at the top 1/8ths of an inch of each page.

Contents: "Biographical Sketch" (penned by editor Ralph Waldo Emerson), "A Natural History of Massachusetts," "A Walk to Wachusett," "The Landlord," "A Winter Walk," "The Succession of Forest Trees," "Walking," "Autumnal Tints," "Wild Apples," and "Night and Moonlight."

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