Walden. Vol. 1.

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Creator

Henry D. Thoreau.

Title

Walden. Vol. 1.

Coverage

Boston and New York:

Publisher

Houghton, Mifflin, and Company,

Date

1897.

Description

Sarah Wyman Whitman (1842–1904) became one of the most well-known American book cover designers at the end of the 19th century. Whitman worked primarily for the publisher Houghton Mifflin, and it is estimated that she designed between 250 and 300 covers for the firm. Her designs stripped away the heavy ornamentation of publishers’ bookbindings. Sue Allen, who taught with several of Whitman’s books in her RBS course, considered Whitman’s design for Thoreau’s Walden among her most accomplished works—although it must be noted that the cloth was originally a much darker green.

Source

From the collection of Rare Book School