Hadassah. The Jewish Orphan.
[Judaica]. Hadassah, The Jewish Orphan. Illustrated with fine cuts. Written for the American Sunday-School Union, and Revised by the Committee of Publication. Philadelphia: American Sunday-School Union, (1834).
Small 4to.; illustrated with nine wood engravings; light foxing; green paper-covered boards, black leather spine; cover formerly stamped in black but now rubbed nearly completely away; spine stamped in gilt. In a specially made cloth slipcase.
First edition, early issue, of this enduring 19th-century American juvenile version of the Meghilla, the story of Esther. A class prize copy, with the following award inscription to a female student: Awarded to Miss Luce for improvements in her lessons by her teacher E. Freeman. Oct. 25, 1835. This inscription date likely reflects the true year of publication, belying the information provided on the verso of the title page: it appears in the publication catalogues of the American Sunday School Union from October 1835 to at least 1893 (see RLIN note). Later editions—and there were many—are easily distinguished by variations in pagination, title, imprint, illustrations, and size. 11 copies located by NUC, RLIN, and OCLC combined; not in American Imprints, or Hamilton.
This copy of a title uncommon in trade is of particular interest for its dated provenance, which helps document an otherwise elusive publishing history.
(#5581)
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