1912 R. L. Stevenson MEMOIRS OF HIMSELF Harry Elkins WIDENER Fine Printing 1/45
MEMOIRS OF HIMSELF. By ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON. "Printed from the Original Manuscript in the Possession of Harry Elkins Widener."
PHILADELPHIA: [Harry Elkins Widener], "For Private Distribution Only", 1912. First and Only Edition, one of only 45 printed copies. From the limitation page: "FORTY-FIVE COPIES OF THIS BOOK HAVE BEEN PRINTED ON WHATMAN'S HAND-MADE PAPER FOR PRIVATE DISTRIBUTION ONLY". This copy is unnumbered, perhaps meaning it was printed as a presentation copy, or that it was one of the 45 printed copies that was not numbered.
HARRY ELKINS WIDENER, who self published this book in 1912, DIED ON THE TITANIC IN 1912, shortly after he published this book.
FINE PRINTING, cloth covered boards, title label on front cover, 4to. 9x11 inches, 27pp.
VERY GOOD condition, a fingertip size bump to the edge of the rear cover, a bb-size stain near the bottom of the rear cover, and small streak stain to the title label; internally fine, tight, bright, clean, clear and unmarked.
RARE. Though the stated printing is 45 copies, it is assumed that some copies went down with Widener and his family on the Titanic. The true number of extant copies is unknown.
Does the TITANIC ASSOCIATION mean this book is cursed? No guarantees on that account!
From the Internet:
******"Memoirs of Himself by Robert Louis Stevenson, privately printed in 1912 from his manuscript, is a rare work notable for its connection to Harry Elkins Widener, a wealthy book collector who tragically perished on the Titanic and whose collection (now at Harvard) holds this significant literary artifact. The 1912 limited edition is a key item for RLS enthusiasts and bibliophiles.******.
About HARRY ELKINS WIDENER (from Wikipedia):
******Harry Elkins Widener (January 3, 1885 - April 15, 1912) was an American businessman and bibliophile, and a member of the Widener family. His mother built Harvard University's Widener Memorial Library in his memory, after his death on the RMS Titanic.
Widener was a member of the Grolier Club. Book collector and dealer George Sidney Hellman, following Widener's death, said: "The excellence of his technical knowledge, his enthusiasm as a collector, and his winning personality afforded many opportunities of obtaining treasures whose acquisition cannot be explained alone on the basis of the wealth which he commanded. Had he not perished in the Titanic catastrophe, beyond question his library would surely have eventually become one of the greatest collections of books in modern times.
Along with his parents, in April 1912 Widener boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg, France bound for New York City. As the ship sank Widener's mother and her maid were rescued, but Widener, his father, and his father's valet perished. In 1915, Widener's mother donated the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library to Harvard in his memory. Two buildings at the Hill School are also dedicated to Widener, and stained glass windows at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, are dedicated to Widener and his father.******