This book is titled "The Maine Woods", by Henry D. Thoreau, published in Boston by Ticknor and Fields in 1864, and it is a first edition in the first state, according to BAL, and it is one of only 1650 copies that were issued in the first state in May 1864. The book has matching dates of 1864 on the title page and copyright page, which makes this a first edition, and it has 22 pages of ads at the rear for books published by Ticknor and Fields, the ads are dated April 1964, and there is one leaf at the end for the Thirteenth Volume of the Atlantic Monthly, which are requirements for the book to be considered a first edition in the first state. (See BAL 20113.) The book is about three trips Thoreau took to the backwoods of Maine in the 1840's and 1850's, and it was published posthumously. The chocolate or plum colored cloth has gilt lettering on the spine, blindstamped covers, reddish brown endpapers, a list of Mr. Thoreau's writings with prices on the page opposite the title page, then the title page, the copyright page, a note about when the essays in the book were first published, one page of Contents, which includes an Appendix list, then 304 pages of text followed by the Appendix that runs to page 328, followed by the 22 pages of ads for Ticknor books and the leaf at the end for the Atlantic Monthly. (The last page of the Ticknor ads and the ad for the Atlantic Monthly appear as uncut pages at the rear.) The Appendix contains Thoreau's notes on the varieties of plants and animals you might encounter in the Maine woods ,as well as some suggestions about proper attire for the region and a helpful glossary of Native American phrases. The book is 8vo. and measures 7 1/2 x 5 in. wide, with a tight binding, clean pages with just occasional brown spots, wear to the heel and crown of the spine, and light wear at the tips. A book by one of America's great naturalists and philosophers, and very rare as a first edition in the first state. #21 #7043