Mark Twain (Over 79,000 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. "Mark Twain a Biography" by Albert Bigelow Paine. Published by Harper & Brothers Publishers, New York, 1912. In three volumes. First editions, with Published September, 1912 and with codes H-M, I-M and I-M respectively to each volume. Volumes I & II are each signed by Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) on an affixed bookplate, and Volume III is signed by the author Albert Bigelow Paine on the supplied bookplate as well. The bookplates are that of Charles Dexter Allen - a prominent bookplate collector who was known for his writings on the topic. The books are in very good plus condition, with minor wear and staining to the original red cloth boards, and with sun-fading to the spines. Please view the many other rare titles available for purchase at our store. We are always interested in purchasing individual or collections of fine books. Inventory # (K9-4).

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Magazine. 93 bound volumes and 40 single issues in wrappers. Octavos and folios. A long run of *Overland Monthly*, California's most important literary magazine of the 19th and early 20th Century. The set includes a near complete run of the original series from July 1868 until December 1875 (lacking only the January 1870 issue, else complete); and a long, near complete run of the second series from 1883 (when it resumed publication) through 1931. In 1923 it merged with Out West to become *Overland Monthly and the Out West Magazine*, and changed its format from octavo to folio. Founded and first edited by Bret Harte, *Overland Monthly* established serious literature and progressive social criticism in the American Far West. It quickly won national and international acclaim as a leading literary force in American letters. Ambrose Bierce, Mark Twain, and Harte contributed sardonic stories and verse, and all manner of informal, highly personal commentary which propelled Harte and the magazine to literary celebrity. The magazine gave rise to a new generation of writers, loosely known as the West Coast Romantics, that included Bierce and Harte, John Muir, Willa Cather, Joaquin Miller, Jack London, George Sterling, and fantasy/science fiction writer Clark Ashton Smith, all of whom contributed to the magazine. Among the many important works featured in this long run is Harte's "The Luck of Roaring Camp," "Dickens in Camp," and "Plain Language from Truthful James," and Bierce's "The Haunted Valley" and "Grizzly Papers," (in five installments). Mark Twain contributed his famous travel log in four installments: "By Rail Through France," and "A Californian Abroad: A Few Parisian Sights; Three Italian Cities; A Mediaeval Romance." Willa Cather's short story "On the Divide" appeared in 1896. Most volumes are bound in full beige or blue cloth. The original series lacks one monthly issue (January 1870), otherwise it is complete in 14 bound volumes (volumes 1-3, and 5-15), with four unbound issues in wraps (February-May, 1870). Volume 3 from 1869 has the original wrappers and supplements bound in. Volumes 1-6 of the second series is incomplete, consisting of 11 unbound single issues in wraps from 1883-1885: (April 1883; January, April, July, August, September, October, and November 1884; January, March, May 1885), then follows a consecutive run of mostly bound volumes 7-89 from 1886-1931 (with 29 single issues from 1921-22 in wrappers). The bound volumes from 1901-1931 have the original wrappers bound in. An ex-library set with bookplates or ink stamps on the front pastedowns. Only two volumes in half calf (from 1895 and 1897) are scuffed and worn, thus good only, about ten volumes and a few single issues in wraps from the 20th Century have some intermittent torn leaves, the volume containing the "San Francisco Fire Number" (May 1906) is split at the gutter with detached leaves, else overall an about very good set. A scarce, large assemblage of many first appearances of important American literary works and articles. A list of notable selections is available.

366 pp. 8vo, publisher's decorated green cloth. First edition; first printing with the following points: p. 13 in first state; p. 57 in first state; p. 155 in first state; title page a cancel; p. 283 integral; frontispiece in second state; p. 283 in State C. BAL 3415 Foxing to fore-edge and preliminaries; some moderate use to cloth at the top and bottom of the spine; a very good copy with the gold decoration in attractive condition. Laid in is a 12mo leaf, signed "Truly Yours / Mark Twain [paraph]".

Full leather. Condition: Very good +. Martin Frost (illustrator). First American Edition, 3rd State. First American edition, third state. Octavo; 366pp; dark green grained calf, gilt border, 5 raised-bands and gilt-stamped spine with 4 ornaments; all edges gilt; double fore-edge paintings; marbled endpapers; original publisher's green cloth front board bound onto front pastedown; a few light finger smudges, smudges to portrait plate; very good plus. Housed in a custom made dark green cloth covered slip case, lined in a soft white felt, edged in black calf, and stamped with a gilt-ornament to the top. BAL 3415. Two elaborate and highly detailed fore-edge paintings by noted British fore-edge painter, Martin Frost (b. 1951), illustrate scenes from the novel. One pictures three riverboats on the Mississippi, the large paddle steamer in the forefront named, "Queen of the West". The other painting shows a flooded Mississippi river with a floating roof carrying seven people, being used as a raft and poled down the river, a submerged plantation house in the background. The small artist's initials "MF" appear the stylized form he was known for, in front of the large paddle wheeler in the one painting. Weber 151. One of Mark Twain's classic American novels, first published in the United Kingdom in December of 1884, and then in the United States in February 1885. The story is placed along the Mississippi River and features Southern culture. Known for his sharp wit, much of the book is satire focusing on the attitudes of society.

Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Hardcover. First edition, 1876. Second printing, issue A. 8vo. 275 pages, 274 of which are numbered. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Age-toned white endpapers. All edges plain. Bound in blue decorative cloth stamped in gilt and black. No signs of previous ownership. This copy meets the specifications for the second printing, issue A: 10 and 14 point type used to print the fly title, fly title and frontis printed on the same leaf, contents pages mispaginated, four pages of publisher's advertisements dated revised December 1st, 1876. Foot of spine panel moderately worn, else a sound copy in very good condition. The donor of this book purchased it a number of years ago from Twain expert and bookseller Kevin Mac Donnell. The latter's typed notes about the book are loosely laid-in. BAL 3369.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. First Edition with the early First Issue points present in the book. The book is in great shape with the spine re-backed. The publisher's green cloth is quite nice with light wear to the edges. The original endpapers have some light discoloration and some inside reinforcement. The binding is tight with NO cocking or leaning and the boards are crisp. There is NO marks or bookplates in the book. A lovely copy.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION. First impression. 8vo. (7.8 x 5.9 inches). A few small marks to just a handful of pages but generally this is a clean and bright copy throughout. Finely bound in recent full red morocco. Spine with five raised bands. Gilt ruling, lettering and decorations to compartments. Single gilt ruled border on boards. Top edge gilt, others untrimmed. Original publishers decorative front board and spine, which is rubbed and toned, have been bound in at the rear. Overall a very good attractive copy of the true first edition of this classic book. First published in England in order to secure a British copyright, the London edition precedes the American edition by about six months.

First edition of Twain's masterpiece, with the first state of the frontispiece portrait. Octavo, original publisher's decorated green cloth gilt to the spine and front panel. With frontispiece portrait of Twain inserted at front (with the imprint of the Heliotype Printing Co., but the cloth is not visible). This example exhibits the following issue points: title leaf is conjugate. Copyright notice dated 1884; the illustration captioned "Him and another Man" [p.13] listed as p.88 (first state); 11th line from bottom of p.57 reads ".with the was." (first state); p. 283 is an integral leaf with the corrected engraving; the final 5 in the numeration of page 155 is larger than the first and slightly below the others; leaf 23-8 is present as a blank; first state of the frontispiece portrait (imprint of Heliotype with tablecloth visible). In near fine condition with light toning to the extremities. A very bright example. Twain initially conceived of the work as a sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer that would follow Huckleberry Finn through adulthood. Beginning with a few pages he had removed from the earlier novel, Twain began work on a manuscript he originally titled Huckleberry Finn's Autobiography. Twain worked on the manuscript off and on for the next several years, ultimately abandoning his original plan of following Huck's development into adulthood. He appeared to have lost interest in the manuscript while it was in progress, and set it aside for several years. After making a trip down the Hudson River, Twain returned to his work on the novel. Upon completion, the novel's title closely paralleled its predecessor's: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Tom Sawyer's Comrade). Twain composed the story in pen on notepaper between 1876 and 1883. Paul Needham, stated, "What you see is [Clemens'] attempt to move away from pure literary writing to dialect writing." For example, Twain revised the opening line of Huck Finn three times. He initially wrote, "You will not know about me", which he changed to, "You do not know about me", before settling on the final version, "You don't know about me, without you have read a book by the name of 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'; but that ain't no matter." The revisions also show how Twain reworked his material to strengthen the characters of Huck and Jim, as well as his sensitivity to the then-current debate over literacy and voting. Ernest Hemingway once declared about The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, "All modern literature comes from one book by Mark Twain. Itâ s the best book weâ ve had. All American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing since.".

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. No Jacket. 1st Edition. Blue cloth gilt decorated binding. light top and bottom spine edge wear. lightly rubbed cover corner tips.

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. The American Publishing Company, Hartford, Connecticut, 1875. Hardcover. Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. First Edition, First Printing. A beautiful bright lapis blue cloth copy decorated in black and bright gold gilt of this TRUE FIRST EDITION FIRST PRINTING with the erratum and misplaced footnote on page 120 and with "From Hospital Days" on page 299. The book is in excellent condition. The binding is tight with NO cocking or leaning with minor wear to the edges. The pages are clean with NO writing, marks or bookplates in the book. A wonderful copy in collector's condition.

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. First Edition, First Printing with 1876 date printed on the title page. A beautiful copy bound in brown leather with raised bands and gold lettering. The binding is tight with NO cocking or leaning and the boards are crisp. The pages are clean with NO writing, marks or bookplates in the book. A wonderful copy in collector's condition.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Limited Edition. "The Writings of Mark Twain" by Mark Twain. Hartford (CT), American Publishing Company, 1899-1907 limited edition of one of 512 copies from the "Autograph edition", signed by the author on limitation page to vol. 1. Complete in 25 volumes. Very good set, portrait frontispieces and additional titles, contemporary olive half morocco, spines gilt, variously discoloured, spines uniformly so, vol. 1 rebacked preserving original spine, vol. 2 spine head torn, a few other joints cracking, corners scuffed, t.e.g., others uncut.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. 1st Edition. First edition Mark Twain, The Celebrated Jumping Frog. His first ever published stories.

Hardcover. First Edition; First Printing. Very Good in boards. Owner hole punched stamp on title page, small printed stamp on CP. Bottom corners bumped. Rare First edition, with the following first issue points: 1869 date on both the title and copyright page, a double frontispiece; the last entry of the table of contents reads "Thankless Devotion - A Newspaper Valedictory" at page xviii; "Chapter XLI" on page 643; text ends on page 651; 4 pages of ads at the end. Page numbers present in the table of contents at pages xvii-xviii; & the illustration present on page 129.

Condition: Near Fine. First Edition, Second Printing. First edition, second printing, BAL issue A, printed on laid paper. Bound in publisher's blue cloth decorated in black and gilt; all edges gilt. Contents on verso of preface, with the following mispagination present: p. [IX] mispaged XII; p. [X] mispaged XIII; p. [XII] mispaged XVI. Near Fine with light fraying to cloth at corner and spine ends, spine darkened. Front and rear inner hinges slightly exposed, owner name and small bookplate to front endsheet. Pages toned. A fantastic copy of the classic American novel, housed in a custom half-leather slipcase, with leather dried and lacking some chips and cloth lifted along bottom edge. BAL 3369.

Original photograph of Mark Twain by A. F. Bradley, signed with a note, "Yrs truly Samuel L. Clemens Mark Twain", framed beneath original photograph. The silver gelatin print is a seated portrait of Twain, stamped "Pach Bros. NY" lower right. Double matted and framed. The entire piece measures â To understand America, read Mark Twain. No matter what new craziness pops up in America, I find it described beforehand by him He was never innocent, at home or abroadâ (Garry Wills). Often referred to as â the father of American literatureâ , Samuel Langhorne Clemens, or Mark Twain as the world now knows him, published a large body of work including several works of both fiction and non-fiction in addition to a vast number of short stories and essays. His best-known works include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Prince and the Pauper, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurâ s Court.

Condition: Near Fine. First edition. True first edition, preceding the US edition by approximately four months. A Nearly Fine copy in the original red cloth stamped in gilt and black. Slight fading to the spine, short tear to the contents (leaf xiii-xiv) professionally repaired, otherwise an excellent copy overall. With the correct, first issue ads, dated October 1884. Housed in a custom clamshell box. Recounting the adventures of Huckleberry Finn as he flees his own abusive father and aids Jim in his escape from slavery, Twain's novel has been praised for its "distinctly American voice," putting at its center two common people who find an uncommon friendship. "Today perhaps the novel's greatest significance lies in its conception of childhood, as a time of risk, discovery, and adventure. Huck is no innocent: He lies, steals, smokes, swears, and skips school. He accepts no authority, not from his father or the Widow Douglas or anyone else. And it is the twin images of a perilous, harrowing odyssey of adventure and perfect freedom from all restraints that so many readers find entrancing" (Mintz). A metaphor for a young and rebellious nation, as well as its individualist inhabitants, Huckleberry Finn defies genre by being simultaneously an adventure story, a road novel, a coming of age tale, an expression of nostalgia for the expansive natural spaces lost to industrialization, and an exploration of race and class. Listed on the American Scholar 100 Best American Novels and one of the 100 Best Novels Written in English. BAL 3415. MacDonnell, 31. Near Fine.

1 page. 12mo. A slight ink smudge to a few words of the note (not the signature)--no doubt by the author in his rush -- otherwise fine. On Players letterhead, Twain briefly mentions "yesterday's give-away of L.A.L." and a cable he plans to send to her, depending on further developments. The note is brief because he was "called away" and "will write again.".

On the recto and verso of a single sheet. 8vo. Ms. notes in ink at head of text in another hand: "Sam Clemens [twice] and the date Sept. 26, 1871." Lightly creased where previously folded; otherwise fine. 38 lines; approx. 160 words. An early Twin letter; "Excuse the pencil." The Clemenses are moving to Hartford and Twain is uncertain whether he can attend a "gathering of the pilgrims." If not he will be present in spirit and make a mute speech. He is preparing for the lecture circuit.

No Binding. Condition: Near Fine. Two pages from Twain and Warner's The Gilded Age. The Twain leaf is as usual bold and fine with a few corrections in Twain's hand (as far as I can determine). The ink on Warner's page is as usual is faded and somewhat indistinct. These pages have been professionally framed and mounted with archival glass and backing and come with quite a beautiful photograph of Twain and a brass plaque identifying the mss pages as from The Gilded Age. Quite a fine and beautiful piece. Note: Due to the size (33x22), price, and cost of insurance, there is a $100 mailing charge for this item.

Condition: Good. Good condition international edition textbook.

Hardcover. First Edition. Publisher's decorated green cloth stamped in brown and silver. SIGNED by the book's most famous contributor "Truly yours, Mark Twain" on the first blank. BAL 3437: Fourth Printing. Contains the first appearance of Twain's "Extracts from Adam's Diary, Translated from the Original MS," on pages [93]-109. This copy also has an AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED from each of three of the other contributors--David Day, Edward Martin, and Peter Porter--laid in. Also laid in is an old catalogue description from Charles Sessler, Bookseller. The endpapers and preliminaries, including the front blank with Twain's signature, have been strengthened with Japanese tissue paper in the gutters. The Porter letter detached at one fold but all present. Spine a little darkened, still a bright copy. Near Fine.

Letter. Condition: Near Fine. A fine two-page handwritten letter on one side of two 5-1/2" x 8-3/4" sheets of paper SIGNED "Mark" to author Thomas Bailey Aldrich letting him know that he must cancel their plans for a visit by Aldrich and his wife to them due to Mrs. Clemens's health, going into detail about doctors and the health of his wife with a promise to reschedule. In part: "We are both grieved with this verdict, yet it was to be expected, for Mrs. Clemens's pulse ranged from 130 to 150 during one night & a part of two days, & consequently the consumption of her forces (considering the poverty of the stock in the first place), was necessarily very great. This morning she developed a virulent quinsy --an odd thing to be glad about, & yet the gang of us were never gladder in our lives than when the physician delivered this news, for we had been feeling dead certain that the diptheria was back again & disaster hanging over us. Being night-nurse, I must cut short & go on duty, now." Olivia Langdon Clemens suffered numerous bouts of illness in her life, making this hard to date exactly. The Clemens family lived in Hartford from 1871 to 1891.

Hardcover. First Edition. Original decorated green cloth. With 174 illustrations by E. W. Kemble. BAL 3415: With first issue points of pages 13, 57, and 143; second issue of title page, frontispiece, and page 155; and fourth issue of page 283. Also with McBride's first issue point on page 143. Recent Twain scholarship convincingly establishes three changes from the printing plates of the first printing of 30,000 copies and later printings: 1) an erroneous page reference "88" on page 13 later changed to "87" (BAL's point 2); 2) the misprint "with the was" on page 57 later corrected to "with the saw" (BAL's point 3); and 3) the misprint "Decided" on page 9 later changed to "Decides" (not noted by BAL). This copy has all three first printing points. Nineteenth century pink paper bookplate on the front pastedown with the word "Wing" and the number "1783." Hinges fine; some rubbing to gilt on the spine and a little to the cloth, mostly to the rear cover. Contents lightly foxed. Light wear to spine tips and corners. Very Good or better.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Authors National Edition - Harper & Brother's Publishers: London - New York. 15 books from 1899 - 1907. "This is the authorized Uniform Edition of all my books. Mark Twain," The latter statement printed in each book. Prior to 1917 each volume included the above statement. Condition: Very Good - all 15 books the pages are clean and overall in good shape. Covers show wear. Harper's Author's National Edition was the first edition released in 25 volumes. Seller Inventory # LSR-00015.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. First Edition. First state with tailpiece on page 441 depicting urn, flames, and head of Mark Twain; caption on page 443 reading "St. Louis Hotel". Laid in is a memo note from the Current Literature magazine reading as follows: "Sept. 9, 1889 (to) Samuel L. Clemens Esq.- Dear Sir, Your subscription to Current Literature expires with the Sept. No. We trust you have been sufficiently pleased to favor us with a renewal. No magazine sent beyond the date of expiration. Yours truly, The Current Literature Publishing Co." Written at an angle across the memo, "Continue the subscription for another year", SIGNED "S. L. Clemens" and dated "Sept. 23, 1889". The memo paper is almost tissue thin, was folded and pasted to a heavier grade backing. The note was extracted, folds, tears and chips were repaired, and it is now stabilized with a Japanese paper backing. The Volume: It is half bound in black leather over cloth, has gilt stamped spine lettering and decorations, 5 raised bands, gilt lined borders on front and rear panels; all edges marbled. The volume has undergone restoration to the leather on the spine ends and corners, and the hinges have been reinforced. The gilt is partially rubbed away on the spine ends and the cones are bumped. Most of the spine gilt is in very good condition. The font endpaper has chips on all edges (longest being 1"x 1/8" on the top edge), and except for the reinforced hinges and front endpaper chips, the interior is in excellent condition. The book presents really well. Signed.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. 1st Edition. A Very Good copy of this mixed state of the First Edition in the original sheep boards recased with a new spine. A nice firm copy with small smudge on top of page 110. Some First Edition points include Pg. 57 "With the was". Chapter 6 Contents reads "Decided". Lists phantom illustration "Him and Another Man" Pg. 88.Lacks l in Col. and Broken "b" lines 6-7 pg. 143.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. 1st Edition. First edition, first printing of Mark Twain's first book, in the original binding. Gilt stamped green front cover, blind stamp back cover. Unbroken 'this' on final page, unbroken 'life' on page 66, unbroken '21' on page 21. Wear to corners, edges of spine fraying (see photos). Binding is sound. Text leans. Lacking the advertising page facing the title page. Previous owner's inscription on the dedication page. Significant foxing throughout (photos of the title page and copyright page are representative of the whole).

Hard Cover. Condition: Good. Newell, Peter S. (illustrator). First Edition. 1906 at each of the title pages. Volumes I & II of the revered Hillcrest Edition of "The Innocents Abroad, or The New Pilgrims' Progress, Being Some Account of The Steamship Quaker City's Pleasure Excursion to Europe and The Holy Land." Volume I is signed and inscribed by Mark Twain at final blank endpaper prior to frontispiece on contemporaneously set in and adhered bordered slip: "Truly yours, Mark Twain, London, June 1900". This signed slip measuring apprx. 2" x 3" is set directly adjacent to the volume's facsimile inscription: "This is the authorized Uniform Edition of all my books. Mark Twain." Volume I also contains tipped-in message written with fountain pen and is placed adjacent to first blank endpaper. Message is from noted book collector of historical provenance on personal stationery with printed letter-head and address of "24 WEST 50TH STREET". Note appears to say: "Dec. 22/15. Dear Larry, Do me the favor to accept the set of Mark Twain's. And with the set, Bigelow Paine's Life of Twain. The edition is boughten but the "Life," I have had bound myself. There is such a comfort in books! Cordially, J. Gaunt." James Gaunt was a renowned book collector, member of the Grolier Club in New York city, etc. He served as a representative of A. & F. Pears of London for twenty-five years before he retired. He died December 2, 1918 at his home, 24 West 50th Street, in his sixty-fourth year. Gaunt's father was the largest paper manufacturer of his time, and one of the principal backers of the late Cyrus Field in financing the first Atlantic cable. Maroon, tan, brown, and black marble patterned boards, red leather spine wrap with five raised bands, gilt titles in two panels, red leather corners, some edge wear, rub, corner chip. 1906 at spine heel. Matching marble patterned endpapers. Pages very good; attractive toning. Bind good, square; hinges intact. Twain humorously chronicles his "Great Pleasure Excursion" on board the chartered vessel Quaker City - formerly USS Quaker City - through Europe, Egypt, and the Holy Land with a group of American travelers in 1867. It was the best selling of Twain's works during his lifetime. Whe first published, this adventure travel transformed an obscure Western journalist into a national celebrity. The Innocents Abroad was immensely successful and remains one of the most popular tales of travel ever penned. Volume I contains a prefatory twenty-seven page Biographical Criticism by Brander Matthews. An 1899 preface by Twain to the Uniform Edition and the brief original preface. Frontispiece portraits with tissue guard of Twain from 1855 and 1868. Few other illustration plates in each volume by Peter S. Newell. 377 and 446 pages. Insured post. Size: 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" Tall. Signed by Author.

First edition. With 174 black and white illustrations by E.W. Kemble. 8vo, publisher s original green cloth elaborately decorated in gilt and black on the covers and spine. 366 pp. A very handsome copy, bright and appealing. This copy is clean and tight and very pleasing internally, the paper extremely fresh. The cloth is uncommonly bright and the gilt in really excellent condition. AN IMPORTANT FIRST EDITION AND A HANDSOME AND PLEASING COPY. The title-leaf is conjugate with [1] and the copyright notice is dated 1884; p. [13] with the illustration captioned "Him and another Man listed at p. 87; p. 57 with "saw" spelled correctly; p. 283 with the corrected engraving and conjugate with leaf 18(3); p. 155 has the final five replaced; p. 161 is lacking a signature mark, as usual; and leaf 23(8) has been excised. The frontis portrait is in Blanck's state 3, with the imprint of the Photo-Gravure Company and with the tablecloth or scarf not visible. The printing points mentioned above should not be considered issue points, as the sheets for the book were printed over time, but gathered and bound at random. Based on issue points only (the state of the illustration on p. 283 and the binding), this is a first edition. Along with Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn is considered the stepping stone to modern American literature. And along with Tom Sawyer, for the first time, the hero of the novel was a boy. These books are landmarks and Hemingway often offered his opinion that the modern novel would have been impossible without them. With Whitman s Leaves of Grass and Melville s Moby Dick, they provide us with a view of America transcending its past and beginning its future.