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RARE American Dictionary of the English Language 1850's | Noah Webster | Revised and Enlarged | Antiquarian Oversized Leather Bound

RARE American Dictionary of the English Language 1850's | Noah Webster | Revised and Enlarged | Antiquarian Oversized Leather Bound

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This original book has had the copyright year torn out(see pic) but has been dated to 1850-1860.  


Highlights of THIS BOOK

  • Bound in antique leather - The leather is worn and shows signs of age and use, in excellent condition considering its age.
  • Book is big - 3.5 inches thick.  11 inches high, 8.5 inches wide.   Makes an excellent statement piece, centerpiece or cornerstone to any collection or library.
  • Raised bands on spine(see pic), book was bound by an expert bookbinder during that time
  • Corners are slightly worn, Spine and binding very solid.  
  • An early edition within 20 years of the first
  • Less than 200 copies exist worldwide

Containing the original body of Noah Webster’s work with the aforementioned additions by Goodrich, this book also contains an engraving of Noah Webster, testimonials from various newspapers and prominent figures from around the time of publication, and the inscribed name of previous owner, R.N. Andrews dated Lynchburg, Virginia 1874 (with pen marked reinforcement). 


Noah Webster’s American Dictionary of the English Language is one of the last to be compiled by a single man, and to own this particular copy is to own one of the single most important books in the history of American English. 



History


Noah Webster began work on this, his Magnum Opus, the American Dictionary of the English Language in 1807. He would learn 29 languages including Anglo Saxon and Sanskrit studying the origins of his mother country’s tongue ( or as he would prefer you spell it tung). The end result would contain a startling 70,000 entries and capture the language of the burgeoning American Republic. Presidents James Polk and Zachary Taylor would praise the work. The other half of this philological partnership can be found in Springfield, Massachusetts.


Brothers George and Charles Merriam started the publishing and bookselling G & C Merriam Co. together in 1831, in Springfield, Massachusetts. Their earliest publications included law books, editions of the Bible, and school books. The acquired the unsold copies of the 1841 edition of Noah Webster’s Book in 1843 and secured publishing rights soon thereafter. They first published Noah Webster’s dictionary from their publishing house on September 24, 1843. Their publication house is still in operation and still publishes revised editions of Noah Webster’s masterpiece.


This listing hand-selected and certified by Erika M

This product listing is for the EXACT books in the photos(including titles)

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