The Professor at the Breakfast Table Value Guide

This late 19th-century hardcover is the third installment in Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.'s influential series of conversational essays. It remains a cornerstone of American literature for its witty reflections on society and philosophy through the lens of a fictional boarding house.

What Is The Professor at the Breakfast Table Worth?

The typical price range for The Professor at the Breakfast Table is $20 - $40 based on recent sales. However, values can vary depending on the item's condition, rarity, and other factors such as:

• The physical condition of the cloth cover, specifically looking for fraying at the spine or fading of the gilt.
• The presence of a clean interior free from heavy foxing, water stains, or previous owner inscriptions.
• Whether the copy is part of a matched set including 'The Autocrat' and 'The Poet' volumes.
• The specific printing year, as earlier editions within the late 19th century may command the higher end of the $40 range.

How to Identify The Professor at the Breakfast Table?

• Check for the publisher's imprint, often Ticknor and Fields or Houghton, Mifflin and Co., which were common for late 1800s editions.
• Verify the presence of the original cloth binding, typically featuring decorative gilt lettering or embossed designs on the spine.
• Look for the copyright date or publication year on the title page to confirm its late 19th-century origin.
• Examine the paper quality for the characteristic texture of late Victorian-era American publishing.

History of The Professor at the Breakfast Table

First published in 1860, this book is the third in a series of essays by Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. It features the same narrator as 'The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table' and 'The Poet at the Breakfast-Table', reflecting on life, literature, and society through the conversations of various boarding house residents. These works solidified Holmes's reputation as a prominent American literary figure.