THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER
by Twain, Mark
- Used
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Yarmouth, Maine, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
1876. Hartford [etc.]: The American Publishing Company, 1876. 4 pp ads dated 1 Dec 1876. Original blue cloth decorated in black and gilt.
First American Edition, second state (i.e. with the frontispiece on the verso of the half-title, rather than on a separate adjacent leaf). Because such copies appear on laid paper, on wove paper, or on a combination of both papers, it is uncertain whether this second state consists of one or two (or possibly even three) printings. This copy is printed throughout on laid paper, and has mispaginated preliminary leaves (Blanck's "arbitrarily designated" state A). In our experience this second state is the variant of TOM SAWYER usually encountered -- though TOM has become somewhat uncommon in any state (much less common than HUCKLEBERRY FINN, for example). Close to near-fine, this copy is unusually bright, including the gilt both on the front cover and on the spine. It does have moderate wear at the extremities, and along the fore-edge of the first two (blank) leaves; the inner hinges are intact. (Obviously the first state is preferable, but a copy in this condition would have a price between $15,000 and $25,000). One of the great classics of American literature, as enjoyable today as it was 150 years ago. Blanck 3369; McBride pp 40-42; a Johnson High Spot ("recognized as one of the supreme portrayals of boy character"). Provenance: armorial bookplate of Samuel Strong Spaulding (1849-1933, of Buffalo and Cooperstown), with his penciled signature dated February 1877.
First American Edition, second state (i.e. with the frontispiece on the verso of the half-title, rather than on a separate adjacent leaf). Because such copies appear on laid paper, on wove paper, or on a combination of both papers, it is uncertain whether this second state consists of one or two (or possibly even three) printings. This copy is printed throughout on laid paper, and has mispaginated preliminary leaves (Blanck's "arbitrarily designated" state A). In our experience this second state is the variant of TOM SAWYER usually encountered -- though TOM has become somewhat uncommon in any state (much less common than HUCKLEBERRY FINN, for example). Close to near-fine, this copy is unusually bright, including the gilt both on the front cover and on the spine. It does have moderate wear at the extremities, and along the fore-edge of the first two (blank) leaves; the inner hinges are intact. (Obviously the first state is preferable, but a copy in this condition would have a price between $15,000 and $25,000). One of the great classics of American literature, as enjoyable today as it was 150 years ago. Blanck 3369; McBride pp 40-42; a Johnson High Spot ("recognized as one of the supreme portrayals of boy character"). Provenance: armorial bookplate of Samuel Strong Spaulding (1849-1933, of Buffalo and Cooperstown), with his penciled signature dated February 1877.
Synopsis
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain, is a popular 1876 novel about a young boy growing up in the antebellum South on the Mississippi River in the town of St. Petersberg, based on the town of Hannibal, Missouri.
Reviews
On Jul 20 2012, TheRealPeterGC said:
This Book about a kid with a Extraordinary adventures.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Sumner & Stillman (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 15459
- Title
- THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER
- Author
- Twain, Mark
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Date Published
- 1876
- Keywords
- Juv; Illus; Johnson Hispot
- Bookseller catalogs
- Fiction (19th Century);
Terms of Sale
Sumner & Stillman
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Sumner & Stillman
Biblio member since 2009
Yarmouth, Maine
About Sumner & Stillman
Founded in 1980, Sumner & Stillman is a small family business providing personal service in the buying and selling of literary first editions of the 19th and early 20th Centuries. Member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA) for over 30 years.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Bookplate
- Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
- Verso
- The page bound on the left side of a book, opposite to the recto page.
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Leaves
- Very generally, "leaves" refers to the pages of a book, as in the common phrase, "loose-leaf pages." A leaf is a single sheet...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Second State
- used in book collecting to refer to a first edition, but after some change has been made in the printing, such as a correction,...
- First State
- used in book collecting to refer to a book from the earliest run of a first edition, generally distinguished by a change in some...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
Frequently asked questions
This Book’s Categories
- Children & Juvenile Children’s Fiction & Literature
- Fiction & Literature Fiction by Region American Fiction
- Fiction & Literature Classic Literature
- Fiction & Literature Historical Fiction
- Fiction & Literature Individual Authors Mark Twain
- Children & Juvenile Juvenile & Young Adult Juvenile Fiction & Literature Juvenile Classics