Twain, Mark

A Tramp Abroad (Two Editions)

ISBN: 0195101375
Hartford, CT; New York, NY: American Publishing Company; Oxford University Press, 1897; 1996. Early Edition; First Trade Edition Thus. Hardcovers. Two collectible versions of the classic travelogue by Samuel Langhorne Clemens a/k/a Mark Twain, the canonical American Humorist & writer: (1) A Tramp Abroad, American Publishing Company's 1897 printing of the work it first published in 1880, a sequel to The Innocents Abroad (see our Item No. 4246). Hardcover in black cloth with gilt lettering, decorations on front cover & spine; embossed decorations on back cover. As noted on title page, there are "Three Hundred and Twenty-Eight Illustrations" by "...W. Fr. Brown, True Williams, B. Day and Other Artists- with also Three or Four Pictures Made by the Author of this Book, without outside help..." With frontispiece engraved portrait & facsimile signature of Twain & comical illustration of "Titian's Moses" on opposite pages, protected by a ricepaper sheet between them. See McBride, pgs. 60-61. We believe that no dust jacket was issued with this edition, in any case it is not present. (2) A Tramp Abroad, 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 APC in 1880 (the 1897 edition (1) above appears to contain all contents of the first edition including an advertisement for The Innocents Abroad on final page). Edited by Shelley Fisher Fishkin, with introduction by the acclaimed contemporary American author Russell Banks & afterword by James S. Leonard. "A Tramp Abroad, published in 1880, is Mark Twain's second travel book, a sequel to his immensely popular The Innocents Abroad. Here Twain returns to Europe in the company, as Russell Banks puts it in his introduction, of a genial "goad, guide, and all-purpose straight man" modeled on his friend and real-life traveling companion, Joe Twitchell, who "plays Butch Cassidy to Twain's Sundance, Sancho to his Quixote." The eccentric journey they take...constantly veers into imaginative burlesques, exaggerations, tall tales, and humorous digressions..." (from front flap) Hardcover in unclipped dust jacket, first trade edition thus, first printing as indicated by number sequence on copyright page. Two desirable editions of the ever-popular Twain classic, published almost exactly a century apart- might Banks have also compared Twain & his traveling sidekick to ancestor-prototypes of Hunter S. Thompson & Dr. Gonzo? (1) in relatively good-to-near-fine unrestored condition with moderate rubbing to front, back covers & spine; moderate-to-significant wear at edges & corners of same incl. moderate fraying & loss of cloth; many light spot-stains to surface of front cover; gilt & embossed lettering & decorations faded but still quite discernible; moderate rubbing, browning, spotting & scratching to edges of text block. Interior fine with mild browning mostly at blank margins of page leaves; small, faint creases at mostly upper edges & corners of same; inner spine-hinges loosening, but binding & all leaves quite intact; previous owner's large pencil signature dated 1927 written sideways on blank front endpaper. (2) book very fine with only very slight rubbing & spotting to edges of text block esp. upper edge; otherwise substantially mint inside & out. Dust jacket very fine with only very light rubbing to front, back covers & spine; a few tiny bumps at edges & corners of same. Good- Near Fine; Very Fine / Very Fine. [Item #4291]

Price: $100.00