Autograph Letter Signed From Mark Twain
Mark Twain Autographed Letter Signed.
Twain, Mark (Samuel L. Clemens).
$3,600.00Item Number: 72002
Mark Twain Autographed letter signed. It reads, “Ampersand” [Harrietstown, NY] , 27 August [1901] My dear Mr. West I thank you very sincerely. But reflect: if you & the 1207 others who wrote me, had said the same things in their local press, (no signature required) think of the hundreds & thousands of converts that vast wave of mere honest simple confession[s] of faith would have made! And how it would have upheld my hands–& what authority it would have given to my mouth! Whereas I got only kicks & never had a friend–apparently. I was sure I had friends somewhere; & if I had had the wit to suggest the above course I believe they would have been prompt to show up & stand by me. It was my own fault that in my hands the cause didn’t fare better. Sincerely yours SL Clemens.” Double matted and framed opposite a photograph of Twain. The entire piece measures 16 inches by 18 inches.
In the summer of 1901, Twain rented a cottage on Lake Saranac in Harrietstown, NY, where he vacationed with his wife and daughters. During his stay, Twain wrote a novella, A Double-Barrelled Detective Story, published in 1902, and an essay, "The United States of Lyncherdom," which was not published until after his death and which captures his reaction to an article about a Lynching that had taken place in Missouri that summer, on August 19.
Other Books by this Author
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One of 1024 Numbered Sets, Signed By Mark Twain
Twain, Mark (Samuel L. Clemens).
The Writings of Mark Twain. (Including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; Innocents Abroad; Life on the Mississippi; A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court; The Prince and the Pauper; A Tramp Abroad).
New York: Gabriel Wells, 1922.
The Definitive edition, this being number 482 of 1024 numbered sets, with volume one signed by Mark Twain and Albert Bigelow Paine. Octavo, original cloth, 35 volumes. The publisher states that Twain intended a definitive edition and therefore signed 1024 single leaves in 1906 in anticipation of this edition. In very good condition with the labels in facsimile to the spine.
Price: $3,500.00
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“You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus": First Edition of Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Twain, Mark (Samuel L. Clemens).
A Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.
New York: Charles L. Webster, 1889.
First edition, first printing of Twain’s tale of a 9th-century citizen of Hartford, Connecticut who awakens to find himself transported back in time to early medieval England. Octavo, original green pictorial cloth, gilt titles and tooling to the spine and front panel with both first edition, first printing issue points including the S-like ornament between the two word caption on page 59 and without broken type on page 72. In very good condition.
Price: $1,250.00
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First Edition Of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Bound in Cosway Style Binding By Bayntun-Riviere
Twain, Mark (Samuel L. Clemens).
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Tom Sawyer’s Comrade).
New York: Charles L. Webster and Company, 1885.
First edition, first issue of Mark Twain’s masterpiece. Bound in contemporary full blue morocco by Bayntun Riviere, Cosway-style binding with Mark Twain portrait medallion under glass, fleuron cornerpiece designs within gilt frames, raised bands, gilt decor to the spine, front and rear panels, all edges gilt, front cover and spine faded slightly, front joint repaired, wide gilt turn-ins, silk moiré endpapers. An exceptional example. Subscribers who had already purchased Tom Sawyer, and wanted a binding to match, were invited to request a blue cloth binding on Huckleberry Finn instead of the publisher’s green. This is one of those blue bindings—twenty times more rare than the green. This copy has all of the commonly identified first issue points (copies were assembled haphazardly by the printer and there is yet to be agreement among bibliographers as to the priority of many points). First issue points include page [9] with “Decided”; p. [13], illustration caption incorrect and p. 57 (“with the was”), p. 155 (final 5 absent), all first states; and p. 283 state 4. BAL 3415; Peter Parley to Penrod, pp. 75-76; MacDonnell, Firsts, vol. 8, no. 7/8, 1998, p. 31.
Price: $9,500.00
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“That is just the way with some people. They get down on a thing when they don’t know nothing about it": First Edition Of Huckleberry Finn in The Rare Original Publisher’s Morocco
Twain, Mark (Samuel L. Clemens).
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Tom Sawyer’s Comrade).
New York: Charles L. Webster and Company, 1885.
First edition, first issue of Twain’s masterpiece, one of approximately 500 copies bound in publisher’s three-quarters morocco binding. Octavo, original three-quarters brown morocco and marbled boards, gilt-decorated spine, marbled endpapers. Lithographic frontispiece and with 174 illustrations by E.W. Kemble, photographic portrait frontispiece of the bust of Mark Twain by Karl Gerhardt. Copies of Huckleberry Finn in the original publisher’s leather bindings are quite rare: “The relative rarity of the cloth and leather bindings is clear. Less than two weeks before publication, [the publisher] Webster announced that he was binding 20,000 copies in cloth, another 2,500 in sheep, and 500 copies in three-quarter leather. The remaining 7000 copies of the first printing were probably bound up in similar proportions Leather copies dried out, cracked apart, and have survived in even fewer numbers than the original production numbers would promise” (MacDonnell, 35). In very good condition, rebacked with light rubbing to the bottom cloth. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A very nice example.
Price: $9,500.00
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“Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't": First Edition of Mark Twain's Following the Equator
Twain, Mark (Samuel L. Clemens).
Following the Equator: A Journey Around the Globe.
Hartford, Connecticut: The American Publishing Company, 1897.
First edition, first issue of the author’s pointed social critique of British Imperialism with the signature mark “11” on page 161. Octavo, original blue cloth, gilt titles and elaborate gilt tooling to the spine mounted cover illustration. With portrait frontispiece from a photograph of the author and 192 other illustrations by notable illustrators as A.B. Frost, Peter Newell and Dan Beard. Bookplate. In fine condition with a touch of shelfwear to the foot of the spine. An exceptional example.
Price: $1,100.00
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Mark Twain Signed Envelope From Berlin
Twain, Mark (Samuel L. Clemens).
Mark Twain Signed.
Addressed envelope in Mark Twain’s hand, which reads, “Mark Twain, Hotel Royal, Berlin. Col. McClure 21 Bedford Street, Strand London England.” Double matted and framed with a portrait of Twain. The entire piece measures 15 inches by 23 inches.
Price: $2,000.00
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"I begin to see that a man's got to be in his own Heaven to be happy": First Edition of Mark Twain's Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven; In the Rare Original Dust Jacket
Twain, Mark (Samuel L. Clemens).
Captain Stormfield’s Visit to Heaven.
New York: Harper & Brothers, 1909.
First edition of the last work published by Twain during his lifetime. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece, tissue guard. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a few small chips to the extremities. Uncommon in the original dust jacket.
Price: $1,500.00
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Rare first American edition, first printing, first state, of one of the Masterpieces of American literature, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Twain, Mark (Samuel L. Clemens).
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Hartford: American Publishing Company, 1876.
First edition, first printing, first state (with “THE” on half title in 10-point rather than 14-point type) of one of the great masterpieces of American literature. Octavo, original blue cloth, peach endpapers, top edge gilt. In very good condition with some very light rubbing to the cloth. Peach endpapers, printed on wove paper, with preliminary matter paginated [I]-XVI and front and rear triple flyleaves of laid paper. BAL 3369. Johnson, 27-30. MacDonnell, 39-40. MacBride, 40. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A nice example of an important book.
Price: $17,500.00
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The Manuscript Edition of the Writings of Mark Twain; One of 90 Examples; Finely Bound
Twain, Mark (Samuel L. Clemens).
The Writings of Mark Twain. (Including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; Innocents Abroad; Life on the Mississippi; A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court; The Prince and the Pauper; A Tramp Abroad).
New York: Harper & Brothers, 1929.
The Memorial edition, one of 90 copies bound with an original Mark Twain manuscript page. Octavo, 37 volumes, bound in three quarters morocco, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, plates. The leaf paged “43” includes notes regarding a “whisky conspiracy” against soldiers’ health and morals, among other ink jottings. In fine condition.
Price: $28,000.00
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First Edition of Mark Twain's A Horse' Tale; In the Rare Original Dust Jacket
Twain, Mark (Samuel L. Clemens).
A Horse’s Tale.
New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1907.
First edition of this story told in part from the perspective of a horse. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated, frontispiece, tissue guard. Near fine in the rare original dust jacket with large chips and wear. Illustrated by Lucius Hitchcock.
Price: $550.00
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"None genuine without this label on the battle": First Edition, First Issue of Mark Twain's Punch, Brothers, Punch! And Other Sketches; With a signed Note
Twain, Mark (Samuel L. Clemens).
Punch, Brothers, Punch! And Other Sketches by Mark Twain.
New York: Slote, Woodman & Co, 1878.
First edition: title page with author’s name written in roman, letters missing from p 91, line 4, and 13 lines on p 101. Octavo, original cloth. With a signed notecard from Twain on his stationary which reads, “None genuine without this label on the battle. S.L.C. Oct. 28/ 80. Yrs Truly S.L. Clemens Mark Twain. June 1880.” Inscription to the endpaper, in near fine condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional quote, desirable signed twice by Twain.
Price: $4,000.00
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“That is just the way with some people. They get down on a thing when they don’t know nothing about it": First Edition Of Huckleberry Finn in The Rare Original Publisher’s Morocco
Twain, Mark (Samuel L. Clemens).
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Tom Sawyer’s Comrade).
New York: Charles L. Webster and Company, 1885.
First edition, first issue of Twain’s masterpiece, one of approximately 500 copies bound in publisher’s three-quarters morocco binding. Octavo, original three-quarters brown morocco and marbled boards, gilt-decorated spine, marbled endpapers. Lithographic frontispiece and with 174 illustrations by E.W. Kemble, photographic portrait frontispiece of the bust of Mark Twain by Karl Gerhardt. Copies of Huckleberry Finn in the original publisher’s leather bindings are quite rare: “The relative rarity of the cloth and leather bindings is clear. Less than two weeks before publication, [the publisher] Webster announced that he was binding 20,000 copies in cloth, another 2,500 in sheep, and 500 copies in three-quarter leather. The remaining 7000 copies of the first printing were probably bound up in similar proportions leather copies dried out, cracked apart, and have survived in even fewer numbers than the original production numbers would promise” (MacDonnell, 35). In very good condition, rebacked with light rubbing to extremities. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A very nice example.
Price: $12,500.00
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Zane Grey’s Copy; First Edition of Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Twain, Mark (Samuel L. Clemens).
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
New York: Charles L. Webster and Company, 1885.
First edition of Mark Twain’s masterpiece. Octavo, original publisher’s decorated green cloth, with 174 illustrations by Edward W. Kemble. The author Zane Grey’s copy, with his blindstamp to the front free endpaper and first blank. Contains all the agreed upon first issue points for the clothbound book: page 9 with “Decided” remaining uncorrected (to “Decides”); page 13, illustration captioned “Him and another Man” listed as on page 88; page 57, 11th line from bottom reads “with the was,” instead of “with the saw”. Other points of bibliographical interest included in this copy are the frontispiece portrait without cloth table cover under the bust, bearing the Heliotype Printing Co. imprint; copyright page dated 1884; page 143 with “l” missing from “Col.” at top of illustration and with broken “b” in “body” on line seven; page 155 with a larger final “5”; page 161, no signature mark “11”. As to issue points resulting from damaged plates (e.g. the dropped “5” on p 155), MacDonnell concludes, “they are of no significance in determining the sequence of the printing of the sheets. All of these occur at random in relation to each other within copies of the first printing, a strong indicator of the use of multiple plates, and possibly mixed sheets within the collating process” (“Huck Finn” Firsts Magazine). A nice association copy linking these two great American writers. Housed in a full morocco clamshell case.
Price: $8,200.00
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