Pocahontas and Other Poems
New York: Harper & Brothers, 1841. First edition. Hardcover. 8vo. [2] (pages of publisher's advertisements), [3], x-xii, [1], 14-281, [3], 1-20 (pages of publisher's advertisements) pp. Contemporary brown cloth with gold lettering on the spine. Illustrated with a frontispiece and with an engraved title page. ANB, Nina Baym, "Sigourney, Lydia (01 September 1791–10 June 1865)". BAL 17758. Evans 41-4751. Lydia Sigourney was a woman of letters and a dedicated social reformer. She was determined in her belief that women had every right to an education and to contribute to the field of literature through their writing. She eventually became her family's sole breadwinner through her published writings. ANB describes her as the best-known woman poet in the United States. The causes of temperance, peace, women's education, Native American rights, and better care for those with disabilities were all dear to her. Although she believed that the domestic sphere and the care of the home were women's responsibilities, Sigourney also recognized that women needed to provide for their families with work outside of the home. A collection of poems from a prolific American author, difficult to find in the American first edition. Near Very Good. Item #000011164
A contemporary bookplate on the front pastedown from the Hallowell Social Library, the front hinge is gently starting, a few leaves show minor foxing.
Price: $275.00