TWAIN, Mark.
Rare books by Mark Twain, including first editions and signed first edition copies of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Mark Twain is widely considered to be one of the greatest writers in American literature. His writing is characterized by its wit, humour, and vivid depiction of 19th-century American life. His works often dealt with themes of childhood innocence, the struggles of growing up, and the realities of life in the American South. His writing style was marked by its colloquial language, its ability to capture the rhythms of American speech, and a keen observation of human nature. His works have had a significant cultural impact and have been adapted into plays, films, and other media.
You’ll find below our current selection of material by and relating to Mark Twain. We are always buying and considering fresh material, and we can draw upon our extensive network to source rare books and manuscripts. Please contact us if any title or item you’re looking for is not currently listed.
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TWAIN, Mark. The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,New York : 1867
First edition, first issue, of Mark Twain's first book. "Copies were bound simultaneously in green, terra cotta, dark brown, lavender, blue deep purple, maroon and red cloth" (MacDonnell, "The Primary First Editions of Mark Twain", Firsts, Vol. 8, no. 7/8). This copy features the gilt stamp of the leaping frog positioned to the lower left of the fr... Learn More -
TWAIN, Mark. A Curious Dream;London : [1872]
First edition, early impression. For this uncommon edition, which contains the first appearance in book form of 14 of its 15 stories, Twain edited the pieces from their US serialization by "generally toning down his language to suit his notion of a British audience" (MTPO). He visited his English publisher Routledge later that year and received fro... Learn More -
TWAIN, Mark. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.Hartford : 1876
First US edition, first printing, printed on wove paper, versos of half-title and preface blank. "The irresponsibility, the love of odd adventure, and the sense of natural justice as opposed to the village code, which characterize the heroes of this book and its sequel Huckleberry Finn, presented a sharp contrast to the Sunday School or rags-to-ric... Learn More -
TWAIN, Mark. A Tramp Abroad;Hartford, Conneticut : 1880
First edition, first issue, with the plates in first states: the frontispiece with the fine underlying lines almost vertical, and the second frontispiece with the caption reading "Moses". This title, Twain's third travel book, was sold by subscription only, the publisher forbidding sale of copies to retail bookstores.
Readers have generally... Learn More -
TWAIN, Mark. The Prince and the Pauper.Boston : 1882
First US edition, second state. The Prince and the Pauper, set in 1537, was the first of Clemens's historical novels and was inspired by Charlotte Yonge's Little Duke (1854), which Clemens found in his sister-in-law's library at Quarry Farm.
The London and Montreal editions of this work "were issued some days prior to the Boston edition" (B... Learn More -
TWAIN, Mark. The Prince and the Pauper.Boston : 1882
First US edition, first state, this copy in a handsome binding by Bayntun. Set in 1537, this was the first of Twain's historical novels and was inspired by Charlotte Yonge's Little Duke (1854), which Clemens found in his sister-in-law's library at Quarry Farm. "Ostensibly a charming children's story", the book "is in reality even more interesting a... Learn More -
TWAIN, Mark. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Tom Sawyer's Comrade)...New York : 1885
First US edition. Presentation copy, inscribed by the publishers to Daniel Whitford, Twain's lawyer: "To Daniel Whitford, with regards of the publisher, Chas. L. Webster. New York, February 21st, 1885."
Daniel Whitford, attorney for New York firm Alexander & Green, acted for Webster & Company and was also retained by Twain several times. He... Learn More -
TWAIN, Mark. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.New York : 1885
First US edition, first printing, of one of the great classics of both American and children's literature, an exceptional, bright copy.
This copy has the relevant first printing points: at p. 9 the misprint "Decided" for "Decides", at p. 13 the erroneous page reference "88" for the plate "Him and Another Man", and at p. 57, line 23, the misp... Learn More -
TWAIN, Mark. The American Claimant.New York : 1892
First edition, the illustrator's personal copy, expansively inscribed by him "Dan Beard [indicating arrow] His mark" on the front pastedown. The American Claimant was the second Twain novel illustrated by Beard.
Twain first noticed Beard's drawings in Cosmopolitan magazine and eagerly commissioned him to illustrate A Connecticut Yankee in K... Learn More -
TWAIN, Mark. The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson.Hartford, CT : 1894
First US edition, first state, with the text block measuring 1 1/8 inches and the title leaf conjugate, not tipped in, and Twain's facsimile signature to the frontispiece. It was originally published in the UK the same year. Learn More -
TWAIN, Mark. Following the Equator.Hartford, Connecticut : 1897
First edition, first issue, of Twain's travel narrative, handsomely bound by Bayntun. Having invested heavily in revolutionary but flawed typesetting machinery, by 1894 Twain was practically bankrupt. His solution was to undertake a tour of the British Empire, receiving an enthusiastic audience for his lectures in every port of call and providing m... Learn More -
TWAIN, Mark. The Writings.Hartford : 1899-1907
The Autograph Edition, number 128 of 512 copies signed by the author as both Twain and Clemens. This magnificent set is adorned with numerous original illustrations and features two tipped-in manuscript leaves from The Gilded Age, one by Twain, the other by his co-author Charles Dudley Warner. The volumes are also signed by Warner, many of the illu... Learn More -
TWAIN, Mark. The Writings.London : 1899-1903
Author's Edition de Luxe, number 71 of 250 sets signed by the author in volume I. This British edition is based on American Publishing Company's Autograph Edition of 1899. Although the limitation statement gives a figure of 620, Chatto and Windus produced only 250 sets. Learn More -
TWAIN, Mark. The Writings.New York : 1922-25
The Definitive Edition, signed "S L Clemens / Mark Twain", number 423 of 1,024 sets. The edition includes an autographed flyleaf in Mark Twain's hand from stock then recently discovered in the Harper and Brothers vaults, putting it in that somewhat rarified category of posthumously signed limited editions, something that would no doubt have amused... Learn More -
TWAIN, Mark. The Writings.New York : 1922-25
The Definitive Edition, number 128 of 1,024 numbered sets signed by the author on the front blank as "Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain", and with the limitation leaf additionally signed by Twain's friend and biographer Albert Bigelow Paine. A very handsome set of the most complete of all the collected editions of Twain's works, here bound by the leading A... Learn More -
TWAIN, Mark. The Writings.Hartford, Conn., : 1901-07
The Riverdale limited edition, number 333 of 625 sets only. The set was originally published in 22 volumes; volume 23 was added in 1903 and volumes 24 and 25 were added by Harper and Brothers in 1906 and 1907.
The Riverdale was the first uniform edition of Mark Twain's works named after one of his residences. The Riverdale Edition was origi... Learn More
