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Antique 1899 Nathaniel Hawthorne Twice Told Tales Hardcover Weeks Publishing Chicago
Description
Antique 1899 Copy of Twice Told Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne — Weeks Publishing, Chicago
This is an antique hardcover edition of Twice Told Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne, published by Weeks Publishing, Chicago, with the title page showing 1899*. The book features a decorative green cloth cover with an illustrated landscape design in dark tones and gold accents, including trees, mountains, water, and a bordered Art Nouveau-style cover motif.
Inside the front cover is a handwritten gift inscription that appears to read:
“Arthur Boyle from Mamie P. Duggan, Xmas ’99”
This personal inscription adds period charm and provenance, making the book a nice collectible piece for lovers of antique literature, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Victorian-era books, or decorative old hardcovers.
The spine reads Twice Told Tales — Hawthorne* and includes gold-stamped decoration. The book is a compact vintage volume with aged pages and a classic cloth binding.
Condition
This book is in antique, heavily worn condition. The cover shows age-related fading, rubbing, discoloration, and edge wear. The spine and corners show visible fraying and damage, especially near the top of the spine. The front hinge/binding area appears weakened or partially separated, with exposed binding material visible inside the front cover. Pages show age toning consistent with a book from the late 1800s. Table of contents page loose.
This copy is best suited as a collectible, display, restoration, historical, or decorative book, rather than a pristine reading copy.
A Story Inspired by the Era*
Imagine this Hawthorne volume wrapped as a Christmas gift in 1899, its green cloth cover still fresh and its gilt catching lamplight in a winter room. Someone opens it carefully, reads the inscription, and places it on a shelf where serious stories and family memory share the same quiet space.
At the turn of the century, books like this were not just entertainment. They were gifts, parlor objects, school companions, and marks of taste in homes where a well-kept shelf said something about the people who lived there.
Little Historical Details
- The title page date and inscription place this copy right at the edge of the 20th century.
- Decorative cloth bindings helped publishers make books beautiful enough for display as well as reading.
- Hawthorne's short fiction remained a staple of American literary culture long after its first publication.
Possible Real-World Journey
This copy may have passed from a holiday table to a family bookcase, then through estate shelves, used-book shops, or collector hands. The exact path is unknown, but the inscription gives it a human beginning.
* Story scene is historical fiction inspired by verified item facts and period context, not documented provenance for this exact item.