Twain, Mark

Sketches by Mark Twain with: Early Tales & Sketches Vol. 1 1851-1864 with: The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and Other Sketches

ISBN: 0520031865;0195101
n/p; Berkeley, CA; New York, NY: Belford & Co.; The Iowa Center for Textual Studies/ University of California Press; Oxford University Press, 1880; 1979; 1996. Early Pirated Edition; First Editions Thus. Hardcovers. Three related rarities by Samuel Langhorne Clemens a/k/a Mark Twain (1835-1910), the canonical American humorist & author: (1) Sketches by Mark Twain, Belford & Co., 1880, "Now Published in Complete Form" as noted on title page. This is a pirated edition with contents from The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and Other Sketches, Twain's first published book of 1867, Mark Twain's Sketches New and Old (1875) & the many legitimate variant editions of these popular works published up to the time of this version. There are no references to this edition in Johnson or McBride, & apparently Twain was dogged by bootlegs such as these throughout his career- a consequence of his wide & wild popularity, which has never abated. Smaller-format hardcover in brown cloth with gilt letters & decorations, no dust jacket (unlikely ever issued). (2) The Works of Mark Twain: Early Tales & Sketches Vol. 1 1851-1864, published for The Iowa Center for Textual Studies by the University of California, 1979. As noted on front flap, "Early Tales & Sketches brings together for the first time 365 short works by Mark Twain- the result of a literary apprenticeship that lasted from 1851 to 1871. The story of this apprenticeship is told with illuminating detail in the historical introduction, which traces the circumstances of composition of the pieces in this collection, and Mark Twain's growing reputation in Nevada, in California, and on the East Coast." Edited by Edgar Marquess Branch & Robert H. Hirst with the assistance of Harriet Elinor Smith. Hardcover in unclipped dust jacket, first edition, a door-stopper production of almost 800 pages (McBride, pg. 358). We have obtained only this first volume of this monumental annotated collection of Twain's earliest works following his apprenticeship as a writer. (3) The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and Other Sketches, Oxford University Press, 1996. As stated in Editor's Note, "The Oxford Mark Twain consists of twenty-nine volumes of facsimiles of the first American editions of Mark Twain's works, with an editor's foreword, new introductions, afterwords, notes on the texts, and essays on the illustrations in volumes with artwork." This volume in the series reproduces the first edition published by C.H. Webb in 1867. Edited by Shelley Fisher Fishkin, with introduction by Roy Blount Jr. & afterword by Richard Bucci. Hardcover in unclipped dust jacket, first edition, first printing as indicated by number sequence on copyright page. Three collectible editions of early stories & anecdotes by the immortal Mark Twain- an obscure antiquarian pirated edition; & two with extensive, helpful academic scholarship including a facsimile of the very first edition. (1) in near-fine unrestored condition with mild rubbing to front, back covers & spine; mild-to-moderate wear at edges & corners of same esp. spine-edges & corners; vertical streaks of white paint(?) along & near left edge of spine; moderate browning, rubbing & spotting to edges of text block; fading of dye to upper edge of same. Interior near-fine with vintage, beautifully hand-written gift inscription from "Papa" dated 1907 on front endpaper; mild browning & moderate spotting to page leaves not effecting legibility of text; loosening of inner back cover side-hinge but binding intact with no loose leaves. (2) book fine with only very slight wear to edges & corners of front, back covers & spine; slight rubbing & spotting to edges of text block. Interior very fine, substantially mint. Dust jacket good with mild rubbing to front, back covers & spine; very light wear & a few tiny bumps, creases to edges & corners of same; small rectangular residue from sticker removal near upper right corners of front cover, front flap. (3) book very fine, substantially mint inside & out. Dust jacket very fine with only very slight rubbing to front, back covers & spine; a bit of wear & a few tiny bumps at edges & corners of same. Near Fine; Fine; Very Fine / Good; Very Fine. [Item #4256]

Price: $100.00