REPLENISHING THE SHELVES
At The Homestead and The Evergreens

The Polly Longsworth Library Project

You inquire my Books – For Poets – I have Keats – and Mr and Mrs Browning.
For Prose – Mr Ruskin – Sir Thomas Brown – and the Revelations.
Emily Dickinson to T.W. Higginson, 1862

I am glad there are Books. They are better than Heaven,
for that is unavoidable, while one may miss these.
Emily Dickinson to Frank Sanborn, 1873


Introduction

Guidelines

Book List (last updated January 9, 2008)

Introduction

The Dickinsons were readers! Books were vital - a source of pride, pleasure, discussion, and even competitiveness – among family members. Through the three decades that Emily Dickinson wrote her poetry, ample, eclectic libraries stood open to her perusal in the Homestead and The Evergreens. Today the shelves of both dwellings are bare.

A preponderance of the Homestead’s books, along with Evergreens titles having close association with the poet, became the gifted property of Harvard University in 1950. Housed at the Houghton Library, the Dickinson collection is restricted even to scholars because of its fragile condition. The remainder of the libraries of both houses was transferred in the early 1990s to the John Hay Library at Brown University, under terms of the will of Mary Hampson, legatee and last resident of The Evergreens.

Harvard owns some 560 Dickinson library titles, and Brown nearly 2000. Included in the latter group are books belonging to Samuel Fowler Dickinson, the poet’s grandfather, from the time he was a student at Dartmouth in the class of 1795, and the books of six other family members, ranging from law books through histories to hymnals. At Brown is the “lonely, rigorous” reading of Edward Dickinson, the romantic boyhood books of Austin (all of Scott, Washington Irving), the poetry, novels, and intellectually stimulating acquisitions of Sue, and popular classics read by Sue and Austin’s children.

As the Museum looks ahead to refurnishing the Dickinson homes in keeping with what records indicate were their 19th century contents, we dream of restoring the books, those treasures the poet called “The strongest Friends of the Soul.” Efforts to replenish the library shelves will rely upon the substantial record of what was there, and rely as well on the generosity of many friends of Emily Dickinson, some of whom themselves appreciate the pleasures of finding and purchasing the books that inspired her genius.

The Replenishing the Shelves project is dedicated to and led by Polly Longsworth, a Dickinson scholar and the first Chair of the Board of Governors of the Emily Dickinson Museum. By establishing the program in her name, the Board of the Emily Dickinson Museum acknowledges her devotion to Dickinson, her commitment to the Museum’s founding and growth, and her strong interest in this experiment.

Once acquired, the books will be displayed as they were when the Dickinson family occupied their homes. A bookplate in each volume will identify both the Replenishing the Shelves project and the name of the donor of either the volume itself or the funds used to acquire it. Informative materials describing the project and its donors will be available to encourage participation by visitors, until such time as the shelves are filled.

Guidelines

Identifying and Prioritizing the Books
Advisors to the project have prepared a finding list of about 100 titles in the Dickinson family library. The list will be refreshed as purchases are made. The Museum’s curators are interested in clean, tight books, not necessarily pristine, but in good condition (no mold, mildew, exposure to water), and they retain the right to accept or reject volumes purchased for the project. The books must be the edition indicated on the finding list.

Acquiring the Books
Volumes can be acquired in one of three ways:

(1) In-Kind Book Donations
Those knowledgeable about the collecting of rare and antique books may acquire titles from the list and donate them directly to the Museum. Before acquiring volumes, donors are urged to consult with the executive director of the Museum (413-542-2154) in order to insure that no other plans for acquisition of the same volume are in process.

(2) Monetary Donations for Specific Purchases
Those interested in purchasing a designated volume, particularly those who have identified a potential seller and purchase price, but who wish for the Museum to make the actual purchase, may contribute that price, directing it to the purchase. Such donors should contact the executive director to coordinate the purchase.

(3) Monetary Donations to the Replenishment Fund
Those wishing to participate in recreating the Dickinson’s family library without themselves finding and buying particular volumes may contribute to the Emily Dickinson Museum Library Replenishment Fund. The gift will purchase titles for the Museum in your name. Please send your gift to The Emily Dickinson Museum, 280 Main Street, Amherst MA, 01002. Earmark it for the EDM Library Replenishment Fund.

All gifts, whether in-kind or monetary, will be promptly acknowledged with documentation sufficient to substantiate any income tax deductions allowed, except that in-kind donors will be required to obtain any required appraisals at their own expense. All books will become part of the Museum’s collections, subject to its collections policies.

The reassembling of the Dickinson family library is a vital part of the Museum’s mission to preserve the legacy of the Dickinson family. Few possessions meant so much. One can never, of course, read all the books Emily Dickinson read, but we welcome the support of friends as we embark on the ambitious project of reassembling those she lived with.

Book List

Alexander, Archibald. A Pocket Dictionary of the Holy Bible…. 7th edition. Philadelphia: American Sunday School Union, 1831.

Arnim, Bettina (Brentano) von. Gunderode. Boston: E.P. Peabody, 1842.

Badger, Mrs. C.M. Wild Flowers Drawn and Colored from Nature . . ., with an introduction by Mrs. L.H. Sigourney. New York: Charles Scribner, 1859.

Beecher, Lyman. A Plea for the West. . . . Cincinnati: Truman & Smith, 1835.

Bennet, John, Curate of St. Mary’s, Manchester. Letters to a Young Lady. . . .. 8th American edition. New York: G. Long, 1824.

Bentham, Jeremy. Benthamiana: or, Select Extracts…. Philadelphia: Lea & Blanchard, 1844.

Bible, English. The Holy Bible, Containing the Old and New Testaments. . . . Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott, 1843. (Two copies, one for each house.)

Blackstone, William. Commentaries on the Laws of England, 4 vols. Philadelphia: Robert Bell, 1771-72.

Bowles, Samuel. Across the Continent. . . . Springfield: Samuel Bowles & Company; New York: Hurd & Houghton, 1865. (There was a copy in each house.)

Bridgman, Thomas, compiler. Inscriptions on the grave stones . . . of Northampton. Northampton: Hopkins, Bridgman & Co., 1850.

Bronte, Anne, Emily, and Charlotte. Poems, by Currer Bell [pseud.]. London: Smith, Elder and Co., 1860. (ED’s copy, offered to Samuel Bowles in 1861 and to Thomas Niles in 1883, and returned each time, has disappeared.)

Bronte, Anne. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall . . ., by Acton Bell [pseudo.]. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1858.

Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre . . ., by Currer Bell [pseud.]. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1864.

Bronte, Charlotte. Villette [pseud.]. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1859. (This edition was Emily Dickinson’s copy.)

Bronte, Charlotte. Villette, [pseud.]. New York: Harper Brothers, 1853. (This second copy was Sue’s, given her by Rev. Bartlett.)

Bronte, Emily. Wuthering Heights, by Ellis Bell [pseud.]. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, Franklin Square, 1858.

Brown, Thomas. Lectures on the Philosophy of the Human Mind. Hallowell [ME]: Masters, Smith & Co., 1848, 2 vols.

Browning, Elizabeth Barrett. The Poems of . . . new edition carefully corrected by the last London edition. New York: C.S. Francis & Co.; Boston: Crosby & Nichols, 1852, 2 vols.

Browning, Elizabeth Barrett. Prometheus Bound and other poems…. New York: C.S. Francis; Boston: J.H. Francis, 1851.

Browning, Robert. Sordello, Stafford, Christmas-Eve & Easter-Day…. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1864.

Bryant, William Cullen. Poems by. . . . Philadelphia: Carey and Hart, 1849.

Bunyan, John. The Pilgrim’s Progress, in two parts. Boston: Phillips and Sampson, 1847. (Two parts in one volume.)

Burns, Robert. The Complete Works of. . . . Boston: Phillips, Sampson, 1853.

Bushnell, Horace. Christian Nurture. New York: Charles Scribner, 1863.

Bushnell, Horace. Sermons for the New Life. 6th edition. New York: Charles Scribner, 1860.

Byron, George Gordon, 6th baron. Letters and Journals of Lord Byron: with Notices . . . by Thomas Moore. . . . New York: J. & J. Harper, 1830, 2 vols.

Byron, George Gordon, 6th baron. The Works of Lord Byron. New York: Long, 1821,4 vols.

Carlyle, Thomas. Critical and Miscellaneous Essays. . . . New York: D. Appleton, 1860.

The Casket: A Christmas . . . Present for . . . Young Persons, MDCCCXXIX, Boston: Bowles and Dearborn, [c1828].

Cervantes, Saavedra, Miguel de. The History and Adventures of the Renowned Don Quixote, 4 vols. Philadelphia: Conrad, 1803.

Child, Lydia Maria. The Frugal Housewife. . . . 2nd edition. Boston: Carter and Hendee, 1830. (The family housekeeping and cook book.)

Clarke, Mary Victoria (Novello). The Complete Concordance to Shakespeare. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1877. (Given to ED by Judge Otis Phillips Lord in 1880.)

Clay, Henry. The Life and Speeches of…. New York: Greeley & McElrath, 1843 2 vols.

Cruden, Alexander. A Complete Concordance to the Holy Scriptures . . . Old and New Testaments. . . . 10th London edition. Philadelphia: Thomas Wardle, 1835.

Dickens, Charles. American Notes. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1842.

Dickens, Charles. Dealings with the Firm of Dombey and Son. . . . New York: Burgess, Stringer & Co., 1847 [i.e. 1848].

Dickens, Charles. The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. Philadelphia: Lee & Blanchard, 1842.

Dickens, Charles. The Old Curiosity Shop. Philadelphia: Lee & Blanchard, 184_(?).

Dickens, Charles. Oliver Twist. Philadelphia: Lee & Blanchard, 1842.

Disraeli, Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield. Beauties of the British Poets. . . . New York: J.S. Anderson, 1826.

Disraeli, Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield. Endymion. New York: D. Appleton, 1880.

Downing, Andrew Jackson. The Architecture of Country Houses. New York, D. Appleton & Co., 1859.

Eliot, George [pseud.]. Adam Bede. New York: Harper, 1860.

Eliot, George. Scenes of Clerical Life…. Leipzig: B. Tauchnitz, 1859.

Emerson, Benjamin Dudley. The National Spelling-Book. . . . 58th edition. Boston: Carter Hendee & Co., 1835. Or: 70th edition. Boston: John B. Russell 1837. (Both copies were in the Homestead.)

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Essays . . . First Series. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1861.

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Essays . . . Second Series Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1862.

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Poems. Boston: James Monroe and Company, 1847. (The Dickinson copy had cream-yellow boards.)

Ford, Emily Ellsworth (Fowler). My Recreations. New York: Hurd and Houghton, 1872.

Frothingham, Octavius Brooks. Theodore Parker: A Biography. . . . Boston: J.R. Osgood and Co., 1874.

Fullerton, Lady Georgiana Charlotte. Grantley Manor, A Tale. New York, Philadelphia: D. Appleton, 1848.

Gaskell, Elizabeth Cleghorn. The Life of Charlotte Bronte New York: Appleton, 1858.

Gilchrist, Alexander. Life of William Blake, 2 vols. London: Macmillan, 1863.

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von. Faust, A Tragedy….translated from the German with notes by Charles T. Broods. Third edition. Boston: Ticknor & Fields, 1860.

Gray, Thomas. An Eleg Written in a Country Churchyard, New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1854.

Gregory, John. A Father’s Legacy to His Daughters. New York: J.P. Peaslee, 1834.

Griswold, Rufus Wilmot. Gems from the American Poets. . . . Philadelphia: H. Hooker, 1844.

Griswold, Rufus Wilmot. The Sacred Poets of England and America. . . . Philadelphia: D. Appleton & Co., 1849.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Blithedale Romance. Boston: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, 1852.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The House of Seven Gables. Boston: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, 1851.

Herndon, William Lewis, and Gibbon, Lardner. …Exploration of the Valley of the Amazon. . . . Washington: R. Armstrong, Public Printer, 1854.

Higginson, Thomas Wentworth. Malbone. Boston: [ ? ], 1869.

Higginson, Thomas Wentworth. Outdoor Papers. Boston: Ticknor & Fields, 1863.

Higginson, Thomas Wentworth. Short Studies of American Authors…. Boston: Lee & Shepart; New York: C.T. Dillingham, 1880.

History of the Connecticut Valley…. Philadelphia: L.H. Everts, 1879. 2-vols.
Hitchcock, Edward. Elementary Geology. . . . Third edition. New York: Dayton & Newman, 1842.

Hitchcock, Edward. The Power of Christian Benevolence Illustrated. . . . Life of Mary Lyon. . . . Second edition. Northampton: Hopkins, Bridgman; Philadelphia: Thomas, Cowperthwait, 1851.

Hitchcock, Edward. The Religion of Geology. Boston: Phillips, Samson, 1851.

Hitchcock, Edward. Religious Lectures on Peculiar Phenomena. . . . Amherst: J. S. & C. Adams, 1850.

Hitchcock, Edward. Reminiscences of Amherst College. . . . Northampton: Bridgman & Childs, 1863.

Holland, Josiah G. Gold-foil. . ., by Timothy Titcomb [pseud.]. New York: C. Scribner, 1859.

Holland, Josiah G. Kathrina: Her Life and Mine, in a Poem. New York: C. Scribner & Co., 1867.

Holmes, Oliver Wendell. Poems . . . New and Enlarged. Boston: W.P. Ticknor & Co., 1849.

Huntington, Frederic Dan. Christian Believing and Living. Boston: Crosby, Nichols, 1860.
(There was a copy in each house.)

Irving, Washington. Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon. New York: G.P. Putnam, 1860.

Irving, Washington. Life of George Washington. 5 vols., New York: G.P. Putnam, 1859-60.

Jackson, Helen Hunt. Bits of Talk . . . For Young Folks by H.H. Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1876.

Jackson, Helen Hunt. Verses. Boston: Fields, Osgood, 1870.

Junius [pseudo.]. The Letters of Junius. Boston: N.H. Wittaker, 1829, 2 vols.

Kingsley, Charles. Yeast: A Problem, reprinted with corrections and additions from Fraser’s Magazine. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1859.

Lee, Eliza. The Life f Jean Paul Richter. New York: D. Appleton & Company; Philadelphia: G.S. Appleton, 1850.

Lewes, George Henry. Ranthorpe. London: Chapman and Hall, 1847.

Locke, John. The Conduct of Understanding…Essays…by Lord Bacon; with sketches of the lives of Locke and Bacon. New York: S. King, 1825.

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. The Golden Legend. Boston: Ticknor, Reed and Fields, 1852.

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. Hyperion, A Romance, 11th edition. Boston: Ticknor, Reed and Fields, 1852.

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. Poems. . . . 2 vols. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1863.

Lowell, James Russell. A Fable for Critics. Second edition. New York: G.P. Putnam, 1848.

Lowell, James Russell. My Study Windows. Boston: James R. Osgood & Company, 1872.

Lyman, Joseph B.and Laura E. The Philosophy of House Keeping.... Hartford: Goodwin and Bets, 1867.

Macaulay, Thomas B. The History of England…. Boston: Phillips Sampson,1849. 2-vols.

Marvel, Ik [Mitchell, Donald Grant]. Dream Life. New York: C. Scribner, 1851.

Milton, John. Paradise Lost . . . in 12 Books. Philadelphia: B. Warner; Griggs & Co., Printers, 1819.

Moore, Thomas. Irish Melodies. . . . Philadelphia: E.H. Butler & Co., 1865.

More, Hannah. Coelebs in Search of a Wife. . . . 5th American edition. Boston: J. West [et al], 1810, vol. 2 of 2.

The New England Primer….improved. Two copies: Worcester: S.A. Howland, 183(?) and Hartford: Ira Webster, 1843.

Ollendorff, Heinrich Gottfried, Ollendorff’s New Method of Learning to Read…the German Language.…Third edition revised and corrected. New York: D. Appleton & Co.; Philadelphia: G.S. Appleton, 1846.

Parker, Theodore. Prayers. Boston: Walker, Wise and Company, 1862.

Patmore, Coventry. The Angel in the House: the Betrothal. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1857.

Phelps, Elizabeth Stuart. The Last Leaf from Sunnyside. Boston: Phillips, Sampson, and Company, 1854.

Pollok, Robert. The Course of Time . . . with essay by James Scott. New York: Robert Carter, 1848.

Porter, Jane. Thaddeus of Warsaw. New York: Evert Duyckinck; J.& J. Harper, printers, 1820.

Quarles, Francis. Emblems, Divine and Moral, a new edition, revised & corrected by Robert Wilson. London: J. Robins, 1824, 2 vols. in 1.

Richter, Jean Paul Friedrich. Titan: A Romance. . . . Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1862.

Ruskin, John. The True and the Beautiful.3rd edition. New York: J. Wiley, 1860.

Santine, Joseph Xavier Boniface. Picciola. The Prisoner of Fenestrella . . ., a new edition. Philadelphia: Lea and Blanchard, 1848.

Scott, Sir Walter. Waverly Novels, vols. II, III, IV, V. Philadelphia: Louis Godey, 1841.

Sedgwick, Catharine Maria. Hope Leslie. New York: White, Gallaher, and White, 1827, 2 vols.

Shakespeare, William. The Comedies, Histories, Tragedies and Poems of Wm. Shakespeare. . . . Bibliography by Charles Knight, 8 vols. Boston: Little Brown, 1853.

Shelley, Percy Bysshe. The Poetical Works. Philadelphia: Crissy & Markley, 1853.

Smith, Alexander. Poems. Boston: Ticknor, Reed and Fields, 1853.

Sprague, William Buell. Letters on Practical Subjects, 9th American edition, revised and enlarged. Albany: E.H. Pease, 1851.

Stephens, John Lloyd. Incidents of Travel in Central America…. New York: Harper and Brothers (?), 1841.

Taylor, Sir Henry. Philip Van Artevelde: A Dramatic Romance…. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1863.

Tennyson, Alfred. In Memoriam. Boston: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, 1850.

Tennyson, Alfred. Poems by. . . . Boston: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, 1853, 2 vol.

Tennyson, Alfred. The Princess: A Medley.Boston: W. D. Ticknor, 1848.

Thomas a Kempis. Of the Imitation of Christ: Four Books.“A New Edition.” London: Oxford, 1857.

Thompson, James. The Seasons. . . . New York: W. G. Gilley, 1817.

Thoreau, Henry David. Walden Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1862. (A copy resided in each house.)

Thoreau, Henry David. A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1862.

Trelawny, Edward John. Recollections of the Last Days of Shelley and Byron. 2nd edition. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1859.

Tupper, Martin Farquhar. Proverbial Philosophy…First [second] Series. New York: Wiley & Putnam, 1846.

Tyler, William Seymour. History of Amherst College. . . . Springfield, Mass.: C. W. Bryan, 1873.

Upham, Charles Wentworth. Life of John Charles Fremont. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1856.

U.S. 32d Congress, 2nd Session, 1852-1853. Obituary Addresses . . . Death of the Hon. Daniel Webster. . . . Washington, D.C.: Robert Armstrong, 1853.

U.S. 33rd Congress, 2nd Session, 1854-1855. Journal of the Senate . . . Second Session of the Thirty Third Congress. Washington, D.C.: Beverly Tucker, 1854.

Vaux, Calvert. Villas and cottages. . . . New York: [ ? ], 1864

Watts, Isaac. The Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs. Boston: Crocker & Brewster, 1834.

Webster, Noah. An American Dictionary of the English Language. . . . First Edition with Corrections . . . Introductory Dissertation on . . . Languages. . . . Amherst, Mass: J.S. and C. Adams, 1844, 2 vols.

Williams, Henry Willard. Recent Advances in Ophthalmic Science. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1866.

Wordsworth, William. The Complete Poetical Works of. . . . Philadelphia: Hayes & Zell, 1854.

Wordsworth, William. Poetical Works of. . . , 4 vols. London: Longmans, Rees, Orme, 1832.

Wordsworth, William. The Wreath: A Collection of Poems. . . . Hartford: Silas Andrus, 1824.

Young, Edward. The Complaint; or, Night Thoughts. . . . Philadelphia: U. Hunt, 1845.

The Young Husband’s Book. Philadelphia: Carey, Lea & Blanchard, 1836.