A BOOK OF NEW ENGLAND LEGENDS AND FOLK LORE IN PROSE AND POETRY
Book Details + Condition: Roberts Brothers (Boston). First Edition, 1884. Scarce. Hardcover with embossed decorated boards depicting witches on brooms. Gilt title (etc) on front and spine. The work is a collection of folklore in prose and poetry from the beginning of the settlement of New England to the late 19th century. The author, Samuel Adams Drake, believed that storytelling could communicate something about society that science could not, and he collected these stories to further illustrate the society and culture of New England. His book is divided into geographical locations, giving a description of the area to set the scene. This 1884 edition includes 112 illustrations by the famous illustrator F.T. Merrill. A worn but scarce copy, with cracked interior hinges (but binding remains firm); significant wear to boards - they appear to have been re-attached at some point; wear to front endpaper, with chipping and missing bottom corner; rear decorated endpaper missing; interior is clean and free of markings save owners' names (beginning in 1884) on front endpaper.
