Book measures 3-3/4" x 6". Printed by Turnbull and Spears Edinburgh. Circa 1841. Original, how rare would it be? and how much. Books are out of my league, thanks. Would like to hear opinions on this, thanks.
These are mass market editions produced in the late 19th C. (Note the date of Emerson's death on one page) and in scruffy condition. I think the value would be minimal.
That is because no bookseller would consider them worth listing, not because they are rare. Sorry but that's the size of it.
The 1st editions of Emerson's Essays were published in 1841-1844 by James Munroe, Boston. If I am seeing correctly, the publishing of these editions was in 1901 (MDCCCCI) by J.M. Dent, Aldine House, London. They aren't collectors items because not 1st editions. I agree with af, condition is important. It's a shame that old books today have very little value. I have several passed down to me from the early 1800s and they have very little value on the market today. Maybe once allllll the bookstores in the world close shop and all book publishers go out of business in the next 100 or so years, these books will become a rarity and a museum of 1800s-1900s Book Antiquities will be established with Federal funding. --- Susan
