1875 Aristophanes' Apology Browning 1st American Author's Edition Osgood HC

About this book

Aristophanes' Apology: Including a Transcript from Euripides, Being the Last Adventure of Balaustion
By Robert Browning
James R. Osgood and Company, Boston, 1875
First American edition; Author's Edition from advance sheets
Original brown decorative cloth hardcover
No ISBN

Browning’s 1875 book-length poem returns to Balaustion and brings Aristophanes and Euripides into a debate over comedy, tragedy, and moral art. This Boston issue is the first American edition. The printed edition leaf states “Author’s Edition. From Advance Sheets.”

The book remains in its original brown cloth, with a gilt Browning device on the front cover and gilt spine lettering.

Best fit for Robert Browning collectors, Victorian poetry readers, and collectors of Greek drama, Euripides, Aristophanes, and 19th-century American first editions.

Major hook: First American edition in its original decorative publisher’s cloth.

Condition: Good minus. No dust jacket present. Brown cloth shows heavy rubbing, scuffs, surface marks, soiling, and wear along the edges and corners. Spine tips are frayed with small areas of cloth loss. Spine lettering is faded but readable. Several former-owner names and notes appear on the front blank, including crossed-out writing and “J. White.” A former owner or bookseller wrote “1st American Edition” on the title page. This is not an author signature. Pages show age toning and scattered foxing or spotting. Binding appears intact in the supplied photos; no loose pages were shown. See photos for full condition details.

Search terms: Robert Browning, Aristophanes’ Apology, Last Adventure of Balaustion, Euripides, Greek drama, Victorian poetry, 1875, James R. Osgood, first American edition, Author’s Edition, advance sheets, antique poetry book.