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Details
CLEMENS, Samuel Langhorne. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Hartford: The American Publishing Company, 1876.
Square 8o. 4-page publisher's advertisement at end. Wood-engraved frontispiece and illustrations in text. (Some light marginal soiling.) Original blue cloth, covers blocked in black and gilt, gilt-lettered on front cover and spine, EDGES GILT (only the slightest rubbing to extremities); half morocco slipcase. Provenance: Merle Johnson, Clemens bibliographer (presumably his copy with his pencil notations on front pastedown signed).
FIRST AMERICAN EDITION, FIRST PRINTING, IN THE RARER BINDING STATE WITH GILT EDGES. "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-riches literature which was then the common fare doled out to children...these books let fresh air into the minds of parents who had shut the door on their own childhood, and they will be classics the world over as long as there are boys" (Grolier). BAL 3369; Grolier American 79; Johnson High Spots 23; Peter Parley to Penrod, pp. 43-44. AN EXCEPTIONALLY FINE, BRIGHT COPY.
Square 8
FIRST AMERICAN EDITION, FIRST PRINTING, IN THE RARER BINDING STATE WITH GILT EDGES. "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-riches literature which was then the common fare doled out to children...these books let fresh air into the minds of parents who had shut the door on their own childhood, and they will be classics the world over as long as there are boys" (Grolier). BAL 3369; Grolier American 79; Johnson High Spots 23; Peter Parley to Penrod, pp. 43-44. AN EXCEPTIONALLY FINE, BRIGHT COPY.