"WELCOME TO THE RANKS OF THE RIGHTEOUS—& POWER TO YOUR ELBOW!": AUTOGRAPH EDITION OF TWAIN’S WRITINGS, ONE OF ONLY 512 SETS SIGNED BY HIM, WITH AN AUTOGRAPH LETTER, VERY HANDSOMELY BOUND, WITH SALESMAN’S SAMPLE VOLUME
TWAIN, Mark. The Writings of Mark Twain. Hartford: American Publishing Co., 1899-1907. Twenty-three volumes. Octavo, contemporary full burgundy morocco gilt, raised bands, marbled endpapers, top edges gilt, uncut and partially unopened. Together with a salesman's dummy volume in limp brown morocco.
Limited autograph Edition, an out-of-series copy (marked with a star), one of only 512 copies signed on limitation leaf “S.L. Clemens (Mark Twain).” This set also signed by Charles Dudley Warner and Twain scholar Brander Matthews. A splendid set in fine condition, with a scarce salesman’s sample volume and a calling card inscribed and signed by Twain, in distinguished full morocco-gilt binding by Haddon.
A comprehensive edition containing all of Twain's writings, including novels, essays and sketches. Each volume contains a frontispiece and vignette title page, both on mounted India paper, and with over 100 full-page mounted India plates of etchings and photogravures used for the first time in this set. The tipped in calling card reads "Welcome to the ranks of the righteous - & power to your elbow! York Harbor, Mark." Accompanied by an envelope addressed by Twain, postmarked Portland, ME, August 16, 1902. Albert B. Paine notes in his biography: "Early in August Clemens went with H.H. Rogers in yacht Kanawha on a cruise to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia; Clemens kept a log of the cruise. The log is light hearted and full of fun much like this note, which mentions the "power to your elbow." His log entry from the 16th mentions poker and drinking, as this was a male bonding trip. Signed by Brander Matthews at the end of his critical biography of Twain in Volume I, and also signed by Twain's collaborator on The Gilded Age, Charles Dudley Warner, on the limitation leaf of Volume X. Complete as issued; two later volumes were published in 1907. BAL 3456. With salesman's dummy volume, which includes an etching signed by Frank T. Merrill. "Merrill shared the illustrating of the first edition of The Prince and the Pauper, with John Harley… Twain was pleased with both men's work, which matched his vision of the characters" (Rasmussen, 314). The signed etching depicts the key scene from that title, in which Prince Edward and Tom Canty switch garments.
A handsome and desirable signed set, very handsomely bound and in fine condition.