Henry David Thoreau — The Writings — New Riverside Edition (1893–1894). Ten volumes from Houghton Mifflin’s landmark first comprehensive presentation of Thoreau’s work, with scholarly introductions, full indexes, multiple frontis portraits of Thoreau, and the famous map of Concord. Missing only Volume XI (Familiar Letters).
 
Edited by major figures in the Thoreau circle: Horace E. Scudder (general editor), H. G. O. Blake (seasonal journals, Vols. V–VIII), Ralph Waldo Emerson (biographical sketch in Vol. X), and F. B. Sanborn. This set was designed to establish Thoreau as a central American thinker at a moment when his reputation was still forming—an essential cornerstone for any serious Thoreau collection.
 
8vo - Volumes in dark green cloth with gilt spine titles and gilt topstain. Bookplate of Edward G. Curtis in most volumes. Wear to spine tips, with cloth chipped at the crowns of several volumes. “The Maine Woods” appears in a slightly variant binding; “Cape Cod” carries an 1894 title page and 1893 copyright and is the only volume with brown coated endpapers. Interiors clean and unmarked. Overall, a very good, presentable set.
 
A foundational collected edition—far more significant than later 20th‑century sets and an indispensable anchor for anyone building a meaningful Thoreau shelf.