“By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave, 
Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch 
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams.”
 
Poems
William Cullen Bryant
Cambridge, 1821
 
First edition, first printing - one of a mere 750 copies. Original drab printed boards, uncut. Front cover printed askance. Small mark at the top of the front cover. Very light general wear. Light scattered foxing, but still quite internally clean. An otherworldly, unrepaired, Fine copy of a book not-oft found in boards and when it is, the spine is typically perished into oblivion. Chemised in custom red morocco gilt slipcase. Ex-libris Frederick W. Skiff and Estelle Doheny, legendary early 20th century book-collectors.
 
Contains the first complete edition of Bryant's moving rhapsody on death, Thanatopsis, which is generally considered to be the first great poem written by an American: “Thanatopsis, if not the best-known American poem abroad before the mid-19th century, certainly ranked near the top of the list, and at home school children were commonly required to recite it from memory.”(Poetry Foundation)