ROBERT FROST INSCRIBES A RARE TITLE TO HIS BIOGRAPHER ADDING A HANDWRITTEN POEM
Robert Frost. The Gold Hesperidee. [Cortland, NY: Bibliophile Press, no date (1935)]. First edition, first state. Signed and poetically inscribed by the author to bibliographer Earle J. Bernheimer to the front free endpaper recto, with an additional note initialed “R.F.” to page [3]. 7.3″ x 4.8″ (186 x 123 mm); sheets measuring 6.4″ x 4.5″ (162 x 114 mm). 8 pages. Publisher’s tan wove paper wrappers, printed in black and stitched with light brown cotton string. Housed in custom black cloth chemise and slipcase, slipcase with maroon leather spine labels stamped in gilt. A beautiful copy of this extremely scarce title, inscribed by Frost with an excerpt from the text to “Earle Bernheimer / 1936.” Frost has also added a small text correction to page 8 (“on” for “upon”) and a cheeky note to the preface, which describes this as one of his favorite poems, clarifying in his own hand ” *said without authority: I / never tell anyone which are my / favorites. R.F.”
Crane notes, “Five hundred copies of the first state were printed, but the publisher withdrew the entire edition when the clumsily long seventeenth line on p. 7 was noticed. No copies were numbered although 37 copies had been distributed beyond recall according to his records” (Crane). Therefore, it is no surprise that one of the few surviving copies of this first public issue would be inscribed to Bernheimer, a noted patron and collector of Frost’s work and to whom Frost inscribed a number of other titles and ephemera over of the course of their acquaintance; sadly, the partnership ended on poor terms and Bernheimer sold his collection in 1950.
Condition: Upper right corner just bumped, lightly toned along gutters. Near fine or better.
References: Bromwich, “Bleakest of Lords” New York Times, 1977; Crane, Robert Frost Books and Manuscripts…, A19 (first state); Latham, Robert Frost 100, 77 (“first public issue”).
