MAGNIFICENT COPY OF ANDERSEN'S THIRD FAIRY TALE COLLECTION IN COMPLETELY ORIGINAL CONDITION AND WITH A PRESENTATION-INSCRIPTION

ANDERSEN, H.C.

Nye Eventyr og Historier. 3 Series, 10 collections. [All that was issued, fully complete i.e. (1. Række, (1.)-4. Samling + Anden Række, (1.)-4. Samling + Tredie Række, Ny Samling & Anden Samling).

Kjøbenhavn, 1858-1872.

All ten Collections (i.e. issues) in the original printed wrappers, uncut, and housed in three beautiful, uniform red half morocco boxes with beautifully gilt spines. Each "Række" (i.e. Series) housed in a box of its own and each box with its own gilt ornamentation to lower part of spine. The boxes are signed Rigmor Birkedal Kragh (the renowned Danish book binder). Ex-libris inside the box: "Hyllested".

  1. Række: 1st issue loose and without the back wrapper. Front wrappers frayed at the edges. Some brownspotting and damp staining. 2nd, 3rd and 4th issues in truly splendid, near mint condition.
  2. Række: All four issues in truly splendid condition. The front wrapper of the 4th issues is slightly soiled, otherwise they are all near mint. The third and four issues have the very rare advertising-pamphlets from Reitzel (the publisher) laid in at the front and end respectively. These advertising pamplets were only issued for these two issues. They are hardly ever present.
  3. Række: Both issues with worn spines and frayed at edges. Front wrapper of 1st issue and back wrapper of 2nd issue with marginal re-enforcements fron verso. Light brownspotting to the 2nd issue, and virtually no brownspotting to the 1st. 2ND ISSUE WITH A SIGNED PRESENTATION-INSCRIPTION FROM THE AUTHOR TO THE HALF-TITLE.

All in all, a truly magnificent set, WITH ALL TEN ISSUES IN THE ORIGINAL PRINTED WRAPPERS, which is a true scarcity.


A splendid fully complete copy of Andersen's third fairy tale collection, WITH ALL 10 ISSUES IN FIRST EDITIONS, FIRST ISSUES, ALL IN THE ORIGINAL PRINTED WRAPPERS, AND ONE OF THEM WITH A SIGNED PRESENTATION-INSCRIPTION BY ANDERSEN - WITH 39 FAIRY TALES IN THEIR FIRST PRINTINGS. Also including the two extremely rare advertising pamphlets that are hardly every present.

The ten issues contain altogether 61 fairy tales and stories, of which 39 are printed here for the first time – among these "Hvad Fatter gør er altid det Rigtige" (What the Old Man Does is Always Right), "Sneemanden" (The Snow Man), "Isjomfruen" (The Ice Maiden), "Psychen" (The Psyche), "Gjemt er ikke glemt" (Kept Secret but not Forgotten), "Skrubtudsen" (The Toad), etc., etc.

It is highly uncommon to find all ten issues of the series together, let alone in the original printed wrappers, each of which is a scarcity on their own. To our knowledge, only one other such set exists in a private collection, and this is in far from as fine condition as the present, where all but one of the issues (which does not have the back wrapper) are fully complete with the spines, exactly as issued.

The presentation-inscription in the last of the issues reads "Digteren, Vennen/ M. Rosing i/ Sorø en hjertelig Tak fra/ H.C. Andersen" (i.e. "The poet, the friend/ M. Rosing in/Sorø a heartfelt thank you from/ H.C. Andersen").

MICHAEL ROSING (1830-1904) was a well-known poet and author, who debuted in 1858 with Nogle Smaadigte. Af en Student. ("Some Smaller Poems from a Student"). He was a true post-romantic, and especially his poetry constitutes excellent examples of the emerging modernity in literature. He was a teacher at Sorø Academy, where he lived in Ingemann's house.

Andersen had known Michael Rosing, since he was a child and long before Rosing began writing. The two were good friends and corresponded and saw each other regularly. In his diaries from 1872, Andersen writes on November 11th that Rosing had sent him his latest book Frelst (i.e "Salvaged"), which had just appeared in print. It is this book that Andersen thanks him for in the presentation-inscription on the pamphlet of fairy tales that had also just appeared, in 1872. On November 27th 1872, Andersen writes in his diary: "Sent... Book and Letter to Micahel Rossing in Sorø." (p. 361). On November 29th, he writes in his diary that he "received an incredibly warm, beautiful letter from the poet Rossing in Sorø" (p. 363) – i.e. as a thank you for the present presentation-copy.

BFN 767, 774, 782, 794, 817, 828, 890, 910, 1017, 1023.

Hersholt: 28.

Order-nr.: 63482

DKK 55.000,00