60 Great Books Bauman Rare Books - 62 - First Edition, First State, Of Tom Sawyer, One Of Only 200 Copies In Scarce Publisher’s Morocco-Gilt 60. TWAIN, Mark. The Adventures of TomSawyer. Hartford, 1876. Square octavo, publisher’s three-quarter brown morocco gilt, custom clamshell box. $69,000. First American edition, first state, of a true touchstone of American childhood, in the exceptionally rare publisher’s morocco binding. An essential addition to any Mark Twain collection. Only 200 copies were issued in the publisher’s three-quarter morocco binding. “The first novel Mark Twain wrote without a co-author, Tom Sawyer is also his most clearly autobiographical novel… Enlivened by extraordinary and melodramatic events, it is otherwise a realistic depiction of the experiences, people and places that Mark Twain knew as a child” (Rasmussen, 459). Originally published in England (without illustrations), Tom Sawyer arrived at a momentous point in American history: Custer had recently lost the battle at Little Big Horn and America was celebrating its centennial. “Publication of Tom Sawyer was little noticed… The book has, however, proved to be one of the most durable works in American literature. By the time of Twain’s death, it was his top-selling book. It has been in print continuously since 1876, and has outsold all other Mark Twain works” (Rasmussen, 459). “This was a true boys book, and surviving copies are proof of how rough little boys can be on books” (MacDonnell, 40). BAL 3369. MacBride, 40. Scattered light soiling, as usual, small marginal closed tear to page 91 not affecting text, front inner paper hinge split, binding sound. A nearly fine copy in extraordinary condition, highly desirable in the original publisher’s morocco. A centerpiece of any collection celebrating Mark Twain or, indeed, American literature.
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