BAUMAN RARE BOOKS 16 17TWAIN, Mark. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Hartford, 1876. Square octavo, original black- and gilt-stamped blue cloth, custom clamshell box. $35,000 Rare first American edition, first printing, first state, of one of the universally recognized masterpieces of American literature, Twain’s irrepressible and unforgettable “true boy’s book.” “The first novel Mark Twain wrote without a co-author, Tom Sawyer is also his most clearly autobiographical… 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” (Rasmussen, 459). “This was a true boy’s book, and surviving copies are proof of how rough little boys can be on books” (MacDonnell, 40). First printing, first state (with “THE” on half title in 10-point rather than 14-point type), peach endpapers, printed on wove paper, with triple flyleaves of wove paper, and preliminary matter paginated [I]-XVI. BAL 3369. Johnson, 27-30. Interior quite clean, with only a few instances of light foxing or soiling; original cloth with light expert restoration. “One Of The Most Durable Works In American Literature”: Rare First Edition, First State Of An American Highspot
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDg3OTM=