WALDEN by Henry David Thoreau. Published by Houghton, Mifflin and Company, Boston and New York / The Riverside Press, Cambridge, 1897. First edition thus, two volumes, Introduction By Bradford Torrey. xliii, 260; vi, 261-523 pages, illustrated with photogravures. Art nouveau cover design by Sarah Wyman Whitman, featuring stylized milkweed leaves, a reference to the native plant frequently mentioned in Thoreau's writings Bound in publisher's green cloth with decorative gilt stamping, laid endpapers, top edge gilt. A lovely edition of an American classic.

Very Good Condition: lacking dustjackets, light rubbing, scratching to covers, rear cover of volume 2 with an apple seed size tape piece adhered to an embossed gilt decoration, light wear to the corners, some light scrapes to the fore-edge, and sunned spines. Internally, off-setting to the prelim pages of Volume 2 from a newspaper article laid in (still present), and a bottom corner margin shoreline to the half title and frontis plates which lightly and diminishingly affect the following 8 plates. Overall, tight, bright, clean, unmarked and the gilt remains quite bright.

Sarah Wyman Whitman (1842-1904) was a Painter, Designer of book covers and stained glass, an Interior Decorator, Author, Poet, and Teacher. She was one of the most prominent book designers during the golden age of decorative bindings, notable for her elegant and restrained designs that made use of the rear board as well as the front. She was the first professional woman artist regularly employed by Boston publisher Houghton Mifflin. Whitman was one of the few successful female designers of her time, and her work was highly respected by her peers. She was also a prominent philanthropist and supporter of women's education and suffrage. Whitman's legacy continues to inspire and influence contemporary artists and designers.

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was an American writer, philosopher, and naturalist, best known for his book "Walden," a reflection on simple living in natural surroundings. Thoreau was a transcendentalist who believed in the importance of individualism, self-reliance, and the power of nature. He was also an advocate for civil disobedience and the abolition of slavery. Thoreau's writings continue to inspire and influence people today, and he is considered one of the most important figures in American literature and philosophy.