The Song of Hiawatha – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1856 First Edition

1856 The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, published by Ticknor and Fields in Boston, marked “Twentieth Thousand.” This is an early printing of the first edition, issued in 1856, not the first printing, but still a genuine mid-19th century American poetry volume with real age and presence.

Bound in original brown cloth with decorative blind-stamped cover and gilt spine title. The cover shows clear age-appropriate wear including rubbing, surface spotting, and fraying at the corners and spine ends. The spine remains readable and intact. The text block is complete and solid, with toned page edges and scattered foxing, most noticeable on the preliminary pages. There is a period gift inscription reading “Mrs. B. Rice from her husband,” along with a small pencil notation on a blank page. No loose pages observed.