Antique 1909 Longfellow's Country First Edition Helen Clarke Illustrated New England Poetry History Arts Crafts Cover

A handsome 1909 first edition of Longfellow's Country by Helen Archibald Clarke (The Baker and Taylor Company, New York — published October 1909), a literary-travel study tracing the real New England and Nova Scotia landscapes behind Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poetry: the Massachusetts coast, the Acadian country, Paul Revere's ride, the Pilgrims of Plymouth, and "The Song of Hiawatha." The book is gratefully inscribed by the author to the poet's own daughter, Miss Alice W. Longfellow. The binding is a striking Arts & Crafts design — olive-green cloth with a gilt title panel, blue enameled diamond border, and a tipped-in color vignette of a colonial-era traveler on the front board. The spine carries gilt lettering and a rose-medallion publisher's device. Inside, the volume is richly illustrated with 31 plates, including a frontispiece portrait of Longfellow and period photographic views such as "The Buckman Tavern," "The Alden House, Duxbury," and "Temple Gate, Sand Island, Lake Superior." Condition: front cover gilt and color vignette remain bright and vivid; spine shows wear at the head and tail with some fraying, and light rubbing to the rear board. Interior pages are clean with all plates present. A lovely piece of Edwardian-era literary Americana for Longfellow readers, New England history collectors, or anyone drawn to Arts & Crafts book design. From the Chapter & Vintage collection — old things, new chapters. Carefully packed and shipped with full insurance.