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Being a Boy by Charles Dudley Warner (First Edition, Signed), 1878 📜🎨🇺🇸

Name: Being a Boy by Charles Dudley Warner (First Edition, Signed), 1878 📜🎨🇺🇸
Brand: Wall Antiques
Price: 250.00 USD
Availability: InStock

$250.00

Sale Sold out

1. Introduction 📜🔍🏛️

This is a first edition of Charles Dudley Warner’s memoir, Being a Boy.

Published in 1878 by James R. Osgood and Company in its original pictorial binding, this volume is a cornerstone of late 19th-century American literature.

The item's history is documented by a handwritten inscription from 1879, which confirms its early ownership and use, distinguishing it as a specific artifact from this period.

2. About the Book 📖✍️✨

Being a Boy is a work of literary regionalism, structured as a series of essays that provide a factual account of rural New England life.

The narrative details observations of farm life and the experiences of youth without a traditional plot. The content is presented from a reflective point of view, capturing elements of a lifestyle that was being altered by industrialization.

The volume includes 15 illustrations, with a frontispiece and 14 illustrations based on drawings by “Champ,” who is believed to be the American illustrator Frank T. Merrill. The illustrations are rendered in black and white, and each is protected by a tissue guard. The illustrations provide a visual record of the era and the themes discussed within the text.

3. About the Artist/Author/Maker ✍️🏛️

Charles Dudley Warner (1829–1900) was a prominent American essayist, novelist, and journalist. He is known for co-authoring the satirical novel The Gilded Age with his literary peer, Mark Twain.

Warner was a central figure in the Nook Farm literary colony and his work helped define a style of American letters characterized by its factual and direct observations.

The illustrations for this specific volume are attributed to Frank T. Merrill, a celebrated American illustrator whose other notable work includes the 1880 illustrated edition of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women.

Merrill's contribution to this volume links the book to a significant figure in the history of American illustration, providing a dual significance in both literary and art history.

4. Historical/Political Era Context 🌍🕰️📜

Published in 1878, Being a Boy was created during the American Gilded Age, a term coined by Warner himself.

The nation was grappling with the aftermath of the Civil War and the transformative power of industrialization. Warner's work provided a factual counter-narrative, focusing on the virtues of rural life as a documented record of the pre-industrial American experience.

5. The Ideal Collector 💡🧐🏛️

This volume is suitable for a curator of 19th-century children’s literature or a collector of Americana focused on literary history.

It is a piece that belongs in a curated collection of first editions from the Gilded Age, alongside works by Mark Twain, Henry James, and William Dean Howells.

This item appeals to a niche audience that prioritizes verifiable facts and a clear chain of ownership. Its status as a first edition with an early inscription makes it a targeted acquisition for a serious collector.

6. Value & Rarity 💎✨🏛️

This is a first edition, and its value is enhanced by its documented history. The presence of the early inscription documents a chain of ownership and provides a specific history for this copy.

At 147 years old, the item has survived a significant period of time since its creation in Boston and its journey to California.

The book's inclusion of illustrations by Frank T. Merrill is a key feature that contributes to its market position.

7. Condition 🔎📚✨

The condition of this copy reflects its age and use.

The original pictorial binding is sound with some gentle rubbing and scuffing, consistent with its age.
The binding is tight with a sound text block, and there are no loose or detached pages.
The pages are fully legible with clear text and illustrations, preserving the book’s integrity.
There is some expected toning and minor foxing to the pages, which is typical for a book of this era.
The physical state of the volume is documented in the provided Shopify photography.

8. Fun Facts & Unique Features 🤓📜🤩

Being a Boy is considered a "crossover" collectible, appealing to collectors of Americana and children's literature.
The author, Charles Dudley Warner, and Mark Twain were close friends; their collaboration on The Gilded Ageis the origin of the name for that historical era.
The illustrations by "Champ" are attributed to Frank T. Merrill, the artist of the first illustrated edition of Little Women, providing a link to a major work of children's literature.
The photos provide direct visual evidence of the book's physical state, a feature that provides a clear and transparent record for a collector.