Rare Henry David Thoreau Handwritten Manuscript from Cape Cod to Auction

An original hand-edited manuscript leaf by Henry David Thoreau for his work Cape Cod will be offered by Nate D. Sanders Auctions on April 24, 2025. 

This rare manuscript is preserved within a 10-volume set of the 'Manuscript Edition' of The Writings of Henry David Thoreau published in 1906, published by Houghton Mifflin and Company and restricted to 600 numbered sets, each distinguished by the inclusion of an original, two-page manuscript leaf handwritten by Thoreau bound into the first volume. The 1906 Manuscript Edition marked a milestone in Thoreau scholarship, containing the first publication of his complete Journal across 14 volumes.   

The manuscript leaf featured in this set (number 326 of 600) originates from Thoreau's Cape Cod, a work compiled from his travels to the peninsula between 1849 and 1855 and published posthumously in 1865. Cape Cod holds a distinct place in Thoreau's oeuvre, often seen as a bleaker, more complex exploration of nature's indifference and humanity's struggle for survival compared to the idealism of Walden. It delves into themes of mortality, endurance, and historical change against the stark backdrop of the Outer Cape.   

This particular manuscript passage captures Thoreau's keen observations of the Eastham landscape, reflecting his unique blend of detailed naturalism and philosophical reflection. It contains numerous hand-edited corrections and additions in pencil, offering insight into Thoreau's meticulous writing and revision process.

The manuscript leaf (10.25'' x 8.5'' unfolded) is inlaid and tipped into Volume 1 which bears the publisher's signature on the limitation page. The 10 volumes present (Volumes 1 and 6-13 of Thoreau's journal, plus Volume 5, Excursions and Poems) are bound in the publisher's three-quarter levant morocco leather with gilt floral tooling and feature photogravure plates by Herbert W. Gleason and color frontispieces. Bidding begins at $5,000.   

The auction also features a signed first edition of John F. Kennedy's first book Why England Slept signed by the future president in the year of its publication.

Published in 1940 by Wilfred Funk, Inc., this first edition, third printing offers an examination of Great Britain's appeasement policy towards Adolf Hitler in the 1930s. The book represents an expansion of Kennedy's Harvard senior thesis and became a bestseller upon its release.  

This copy holds particular significance as it features a vintage 1940 signature, uncommon for this title, especially without a personalized inscription. Kennedy signed boldly on the front free endpaper "John F. Kennedy / Oct. 30, 1940".  Bidding begins at $5,500.