Lot 1316
Webster, Noah (1758-1843) American lexicographer and author; father of the American dictionary. Autograph Letter Signed, one page, New Haven, February 7, 1838. Written to Samuel Fletcher, a lawyer in Concord, New Hampshire, asking his help in determining whether Webster is being cheated by the publisher of his spelling book. In part: "Mr. Atwood, the publisher of my El. Spelling Book, wrote to me last summer, before he went westward, that Mr. Simon Brown was his partner & would continue to publish the books. I learn that Brown or some person under him has published great numbers, say sixty or seventy thousand; & if so, this has been done without a license & to my injury. It is said Brown has absconded, or gone south & that the plates he used are in the hands of the assignee of Atwood. I wish you…to ascertain whether there is any property which can be found to secure me, for this trespass; whether Brown is expected to return & in whose hands the stereotype plates of Atwood are - and whether any person is using them. I wish to put an end to such illegal proceedings…."
Ironically, but for obvious reasons, Webster was reluctant to part with the words in his spelling book wholesale and without compensation, but had no objection to sharing them with the public one word at a time. One is reminded of Twain's celebrated statement that all the words at his command were in the dictionary and that Twain had merely rearranged them. Webster's fame, on the other hand, rests on his having the words at his disposal in alphabetical order. One contemporary ink smear in body, three tiny tape remnants at top edge, and light toning, else fine. Integral address leaf has blue circular postmark and manuscript postage.
Webster wrote Grammatical Institute of the English Language, Part I in 1783. It was a spelling book later known as Webster's Spelling Book or Blue-Backed Speller and it sold over a hundred million copies over the next century. In 1806, he published the first true American dictionary, A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language In 1828 he published An American Dictionary of the English Language, a magnum opus for which he learned 26 languages, in order to learn the origins of words. Webster thought that spelling, grammar, and usage should be based on the living, spoken language. He was largely responsible for recording and establishing the vitality of American English.
Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,250.
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| Realized $1,093 |
