Antique 1867 Harriet Beecher Stowe Signed 1st Ed Book - Religious Poems - Autographed Stanza

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Antique 1867 Harriet Beecher Stowe Signed 1st Ed Religious Poems - Autographed Stanza

Rare & Highly Collectible Antiquarian Offering: A … Read more Antique 1867 Harriet Beecher Stowe Signed 1st Ed Religious Poems - Autographed Stanza

Rare & Highly Collectible Antiquarian Offering: A verified true first edition copy of Religious Poems by Harriet Beecher Stowe, published in Boston by Ticknor and Fields in 1867. This exceptionally rare volume features a complete, four-line handwritten holographic stanza and signature by the legendary author herself.

Author Inscription & Autographed Verse

The front flyleaf contains a deeply significant, clear inscription handwritten by Harriet Beecher Stowe in her later-life script, dated March 4, 1887 (when Stowe was 75 years old and living in Hartford, CT).
The inscription features a complete stanza from her poem "Summer Studies" (also known as "The Dropping-Well"):
"Why shouldst thou study in the month of June?
In dusty books of Greek and Hebrew lore
When the great Teacher of all glorious things
Passes in hourly light before thy door."
— Harriet Beecher Stowe
March 4. 1887
(Note: The facing page contains a neat, contemporary ownership signature in pencil: "Julia R. Bull, Dec. 88.")

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Religious Poems
• Author: Harriet Beecher Stowe (Author of Uncle Tom's Cabin)
• Publisher: Ticknor and Fields, Boston
• Publication Date: 1867
• Edition: First Edition (True first printing, limited to just 2,046 total copies)
• Illustration: Features an iconic woodcut engraving of Oakholm, Stowe's historic Gothic Revival mansion in Hartford, on the title page.

Book measures 7 1/8" x 4 5/8" x 1/2"

Condition Report

This volume is in Good to Very Good antique condition, retaining all its original 19th-century structural elements:
• Binding: Original dark forest green publisher's cloth over beveled boards. Features intricate, bright gilt (gold leaf) stamping on the front cover and spine. Light rubbing and shelf wear to the corners and spine tips.
• Hinges & Spine: The rear inner hinge is tight and structurally sound. The front inner hinge shows typical age-splitting to the brown endpaper along the top seam, exposing the underlying netting, but the cover remains securely attached.
• Interior Pages: Pages are clean and complete with no missing leaves or torn text. Light pencil notation on the initial flyleaf reads "1st ed / Autograph inscription" (easily erasable, left intact for provenance). Faint to moderate foxing (age spots) present on the title and copyright pages, consistent with 1860s paper stock. See less