Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), Two Early English Volumes including William Temple Franklin, ed., The Private Correspondence of Benjamin Franklin, London: Henry Colburn, 1817, first edition, 4to., printed by A. J. Valpy, London, in full tan calf with gilt fillet, the spine with raised bands and brown panels with gilt lettering and decoration, with cut and tinted edges, 11-1/4" x 8-3/4" [Ford 555]; and The Way to Wealth, Written by the late Dr. Franklin, Extracted From His Political Works, Nottingham: C. Sutton, n.d. [ca. 1800], 12mo. pamphlet, the cover with a charming woodcut of Franklin, 6-3/4" x 3-5/8". [Stevens 135; Ford 142] Provenance: The Collection of William Pfaff, New Orleans, Louisiana. The Correspondence is the first edition of Franklin's private letters. It was intended to be the third volume of Franklin's writings edited by his grandson, William Temple Franklin (1760-1823), but the delayed production of the first two volumes occasioned that this was the first issued, sold separately.

Correspondence: Front joint and hinge split, with the board held by a single band of stitching. The calf itself is generally nice, with light spotting, bumped corners and some flaking and loss to the spine. Pencil marks inside boards; bookplate of Joseph Gregg Layne. Light foxing, but generally very clean text. Way to Wealth: Some soiling throughout. Outer folio split at the fold, making the outer leaves detached. Pencil marks on cover. A well-preserved bit of ephemera.