Lot 666
Webster, Noah (1758-1843) American lexicographer and author. In 1783 he wrote Grammatical Institute of the English Language, Part I, a spelling book that became known as Webster's Spelling Book or Blue-Backed Speller, which taught American children how to read, spell, and pronounce words and had tremendous sales for over 100 years. In 1828 he published his two-volume An American Dictionary of the English Language; after his death in 1843, his heirs sold the rights to his dictionary to G. & C. Merriam, and it was renamed The Merriam Webster Dictionary.
Autograph manuscript, 1p, oblong, 4½ x 7¾ in., n.p., n.d. (before 1828). Being a leaf of the manuscript of Webster's An American Dictionary. The sheet contains Webster's definitions of the word "behind," for which he distinguishes six different meanings; he adds to these the phrase "behind the back," as used in scripture. A note on the verso reads: "A scrip of the manuscript of the first Dictionary / My Father's writing / Mrs. E.S. Webster Jones aged 82." On another sheet, of later date, to which the Webster fragment is neatly tipped, is a note in an unidentified hand: "…a portion of the copy of the first dictionary--authenticated by his daughter Mrs. Elizabeth Jones… obtained Oct. 7 1886." Fine.
Leaves from the manuscript of Webster's An American Dictionary of the English Language (New Haven, 1828) are rare on the market; the bulk of the manuscript (some 450 pages) is in The Pierpont Morgan Library. Another leaf of the manuscript which was recently on the market bore a similar inscription from Webster's daughter. It is possible that the very few pages detached from the Morgan manuscript were extracted by Webster's daughter to give to collectors who had requested a sample of the lexicographer's handwriting. See H. Cahoon, T.V. Lange and C. Ryskamp, American Literary Autographs, n.1 and p.208.
Estimated Value $8,000 - 10,000.
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