Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain [Samuel Clemens] - 1885

ont> Charles L Webster : New York, 1885 Book. Very Good. Hardcover. First edition.. The first U. S edition of this famous nineteenth century novel which is frequently cited as one of the Great American Novels. With the author's signature . The first edition, second state. With the BAL points of 'with the saw' instead of 'with the was' to page 57, the erroneous page reference '88' is changed to '87' at page 13, and at page 9 the misprint 'decided' has been corrected to 'decides'. Illustrated, with one hundred and seventy four illustrations total, by E W Kemble. Kemble is best known for his illustrations in this first edition, particularly for his caricatures. He subsequently illustrated Twain's 'Puddin' Head Wilson' and Harriet Beecher Stowe's 'Uncle Tom's Cabin'. With Mark Twain's signature held in a plastic slipcase and loosely inserted. It reads 'Truly Yours Mark Twain. ' Mark Twain was the pen name of the American writer and humorist, Samuel Langhorne Clemens. 'Huckleberry Finn' was the first work in major American literature to be written in vernacular English. It is noticable for its description of people and places along the Mississippi River. It tells the story of Huckleberry 'Huck' Finn from a first person narrative. Finn narrates Twain's previous novels 'Tom Sawyer Abroad' and 'Tom Sawyer, Detective'. It is regarded as sequel to 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'. Twain wrote this novel twenty years after the Emancipation Proclamation and therefore the end of Civil War America. However, it is set pre-Civil War when slavery was still a fact of life. Twain wrote this satire to expose the hypocrisy of slavery and 'civilized' society. Thematically, 'Huckleberry Finn' explores race and identity. A scarce opportunity to own a first edition of this classic American novel, with the author's signature. Condition: In the publisher's original cloth binding. Externally, sound, with slight rubbing to the extremities and to the head and tail of spine. Light rubbing to the joints. Several light marks to boards. Hinges are strained but firm. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are bright with just the odd spots. Overall Condition: Very Good.