The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Author: Mark Twain
Title: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Publication: New York: Charles L. Webster and Company, 1885.

Description: E.W. Kemble. Pictorial cloth. A bright, very solid copy of the 1885 1st edition, 1st issue, with its 3 all-but-universally agreed upon issue points establishing it as such: the heading for Chapter 6 on the front Contents page (pg. 9) reads "Huck Decided to Leave" instead of "Huck Decides to Leave"; on pg. 13 (the Illustrations list) "Him and Another Man" is incorrectly listed at pg. 88; and on pg. 57, 11 lines from the bottom, the text reads "with the was", which in later states was corrected to "with the saw". The original printing of "Huck Finn" was deeply complicated (to cite one example, both the 1st and 2nd states were purportedly delivered to the book's printer ON THE SAME DAY and many feel that the sheets from the 2 states were physically mixed). Recent scholarship has also become more entrenched in the notion that only the presence of the 3 issue points cited above can forcefully demonstrate the 1st state. Beyond this, this copy is in the much scarcer deep-blue cloth. In fact, BAL asserts that the 1st printing of "Huck Finn" produced 9,500 copies in its more common green cloth and only 500 copies in the blue cloth. Fortunately, this copy has a pleasing brightness to it as well. The gilt-lettering along the front panel is crisp and almost completely unrubbed, and visually "pops", as sharp copies should. The gilt-compartment and gilt-titling along the spine are also impressively strong and bright as well. There's a bit of very light wear at the spine ends (with just a touch of almost microscopic loss) and very minor, light rubbing along the rear panel's hinge. A bit of minor offsetting and soiling to the pastedowns and endsheets (all original) and just a hint of light foxing at the preliminaries. The pages of text are clean and surprisingly bright-white, as are the 174 masterful illustrations by E.W. Kemble (1861-1933). A completely unrestored copy, attractive and very presentable in its wonderful rich-blue cloth. Very Good +.

Seller ID: 24517

Subject: Literature