Writings Twain Definitive Edition by Twain Mark (6 results)

35 volumes First Edition Issued by Gabriel Wells. Autographed, Limited and Numbered. With signature of Albert Bigelow Paine, Mark Twain's biographer, attesting to the authenticity of the fly-leaf being signed twice by the author of the works, both as Mark Twain and S L Clemens in 1906. With frontispiece and full page gravure illustrations and descriptive tissue guards throughout. 8vo, publisher's original blue cloth over paper covered boards, the spines with printed paper labels as issued. A very good copy. The spine panels, labels and fore-edges with some age evidence and mellowing as is typical for the binding. The bindings all strong, probaly a pristine and unread set with much of the work still unopened. Internally clean and in excellent condition. FIRST EDITION OF THIS FINE COLLECTION AND THE DEFINITIVE EDITION OF THE WORKS OF MARK TWAIN, WITH AUTOGRAPHS AS BOTH CLEMENS AND TWAIN. Mark Twain, humorist, and essayist, one of the great literary forces in Amercan history was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Faulkner calling him "the father of American literature. It is instructive to note that the most pervasive structural characteristic of Mark Twain's (November 30, 1835 April 21, 1910) work, of his nonfiction as well as his fiction, is dualistic. That observation is not worth much without detailed application to specific aspects of particular works, but even before turning to particulars, it is useful to consider how many "pairs" of contending, conflicting, complementary, or contrasting characters, situations, states of being, ideas, and values run through Twain's work. One thinks immediately of Tom and Huck, of Huck and Jim, of Huck and Pap, of the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson, of the prince and the pauper, of the two sets of twins in Pudd'nhead Wilson, and of Mark Twain and Samuel Clemens. One also thinks of boys testing themselves against adults, of youth and adulthood, of the free life on the river contrasted with the settled life of the river towns, of the wilderness and civilization, of the promises of industrial progress against the backdrop of the humbler, traditional rural setting, of Eden and everything east of Eden, and, finally, of good and evil. The tonal quality of Twain's works is also dualistic. The jumping frog story is almost pure fun. The "Mysterious Stranger" stories, one of which was first published in bowdlerized form after Twain's death, are almost pure gloom. Most of Twain's fiction comes between the two, both chronologically and thematically. Except for The Gilded Age, which he wrote with Charles Dudley Warner, the novels, from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer to the final two, Pudd'nhead Wilson and Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, fall within the thematic and tonal extremes established by the short fiction. That is, Tom's adventures take place in the hallowed light of innocence and virtue beyond the reach of any truly effective evil forces, while Roxy's adventures in Pudd'nhead Wilson are of almost unrelieved gloom. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is midway between the extremes, with its blending of the light and affirmation that shine so brightly in Twain's childhood idyll with the darkened vision of the later years. Nearly everyone agrees that The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Twain's second novel, is an American classic, and many also agree that there is no accounting for its success. It is at the same time a novel of the utmost simplicity and of deep complexity. The novel is a marvelous boy's adventure story, a fact given perspective by Twain's observation that "it will be read only by adults." That is, the essence of childhood can be savored only after the fact, only after one has passed through it and can look back upon it. Popularizations of Tom's adventures are produced for children, but the continuing vitality of the novel depends upon the adult sensibility and its capacity and need for nostalgic recollection. Twain plays on all the strings of.

Set Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. SIGNED. 35 volumes. 8vo. SIGNED edition. SIGNED by Mark Twain with his pen name and as Samuel Clemens, it is also SIGNED by the publisher. Deckled edges. Darkening to spines of all volumes. Fading and wear to spine labels. Edgewear throughout volumes. Slight fraying and bumping to upper spine ends of volumes. Light fraying and rubbing to bottom spine ends. Rubbing and fading to covers. Slight silverfishing to front cover of vol. 1 at joint. Small chip to upper front forecorner with scraping to rear forecorners of vol. 1. Slight loosening to spine of vol. 1. Small abrasions to spine label of vol. 2. Small abrasion to rear top edge of vol. 2 with scraping to upper forecorners. Light staining to front cover at top edge and near foredge with stains to rear cover at top edge and at joint of vol. 2. Scraping and rubbing to spine label of vol. 3. Marks to front cover of vol. 3. Scraping and light bumping to upper forecorners of vol. 3 with small abrasion to rear lower edge. Scraping to forecorners of vol. 4. Fading to spine label of vol. 4. Loosening to spine of vol. 4. Heavy rubbing to spine label of vol. 5. Slight loosening to spine of vol. 5. Small mark to rear cover of vol. 5 at bottom edge. Abrasion to rear foredge of vol. 6 with scraping and slight bumping to front forecorners and to lower rear forecorner. Heavier wear to spine label, with long abrasions and tear starting at bottom edge of spine label. Loosning to spine of vol. 6. Fading and scraping to spine label of vol. 7. Small scrapes to upper forecorners with large scrape to lower rear forecorner. Marks to rear cover and to front top edge of vol. 7. Loosening to spine of vol. 8. Scraping and rubbing to spine label of vol. 9. Small scrapes to forecorners of vol. 9. Spine label of vol. 10 becoming unglued at bottom edge. Scraping to rear forecornes of vol. 10. Scraping to front forecorners of vol. 11. Small marks to front cover of vol. 11. Loosening to spine of vol. 11. Scraping and slight bumping to forecorners of vol. 12. Loosening to spine of vol. 12. Heavier fading to spine label of volumes 12 and 13. Light marks to covers of vol. 14. Tears to spine label of vol. 15, spine label becoming unglued and detaching from spine. Tear to rear lower foredge of vol. 15 with scraping to front forecorners. Scrape to upper rear forecorner of vol. 17. Scraping to forecorners of vol. 18. Scrapes to upper foreconers of vol. 19. Abrasions and rubbing to rear cover of vol. 19. Small scrapes to forecorners of vol. 20. Scrapes to front forecornes and lower rear forecorner of vol. 21. Light scrapes to spine label of vol. 22. Abrasions to spine label of vol. 23. Loosening to spine of vol. 23. Scraping to forecorners of vol. 24. Scraping and slight bumping to forecorners of vol. 5. Scrape to upper rear forecorner of vol. 26. Loosening to spine of vol. 27. Scraping to lower forecorners of vol. 27. Abrasions to forecorners of vol. 28. Heavier rubbing to spine label of vol. 28. Sraping to lower forecorners of vol. 29. Mark to front cover of vol. 30. Scraping to upper forecorner of vol. 31. Spine label becoming detached from spine of vol. 31. Loosening to spine of vol. 31. Loosening to spine of vol. 33. Scrape to front upper forecorner and lower rear forecorner of vol. 33. Small abrasions to forecorners of vol. 34. Scraping and slight bumping to forecorners of vol. 35. Uncut leaves throughout volumes. Slight overopening to middle hinges of vol. 2. Upper hinges are tender of vol. 1. Cracking to hinge at pg. 116 of vol. 4. Stains to pgs. 51-73 of vol. 5. Slight cracking to hinges throughout vol. 5. Overopening thorughout vol. 6. Hinges are tender of vol. 7, slight cracking to upper hinges thoughout. Hinges are tender of vol. 8. Overopening to hinges underneath pasted pages of vol. 9. Hinges are tender of vol. 19. Tear to pg. 158 of vol. 21. Slight overopening thorughout vol. 22. Slight overopening throughout vol. 24. Slight overopening to middle hinges of vol. 25, hinges seem tender to overopening. Cracking. Author.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Complete set of this best edition of the works of Mark Twain in 37 Volumes, published. 1922-25. Books are bound in the publishers half cloth with paper spine labels. Bindings are sound but labels are faded. Signed by Mark Twain in volume one and also by the publishers. A very nice set of this highly collectible item. Signed by Author(s).

Hardcover. Condition: Good. The Definitive Edition of the Works of Mark Twain. Published in 37 volumes -- this set is missing volume 8 (Tom Sawyer). Blue cloth spines with paper labels. Plain paper over boards. Bindings good and tight. The blue cloth on the spine is uniformly and evenly faded towards gray, as is usual with this set. A limited edition of 1024 sets. This one is numbered 917 on the special limitation page in the first volume. Flyleaf signed by Mark Twain with both Twain and Clemens names. Special insert bound in opposite states "This fly leaf as signed by Mark Twain in 1906 in anticipation of the present Definitive Edition of his work." The note is signed by Albert Bigelow Paine (Twain's biographer). There is some light foxing on the autograph page. A few of the paper spine labels are chipped and all are faded. Please email to see a photo. The Definitive Edition has a fascinating story behind it, starting with the collector Gabriel Wells. The signed sheets in this edition had been forgotten about until their discovery in the Harper & Co vaults. Well acquired those sheets as well as the right to publish the set (for which he paid $200,000). He used the illustrations from earlier editions, evidently without permission. He also arranged to published Paine's Biography of Twain as the final 2 volumes. Those final 2 volumes are dated 1925. Volumes 9-35 are dated 1923. The first 8 volumes are 1922. Extra shipping charges will apply for the full-shelf set. [bookseller's note to himself: the signed volume is in the vault.]. Signed by Author(s).

37 volumes. Frontispieces, illustr, 9 x 6, blue cloth backed boards, vp, covers rubbed and toned, extremities bumped and fraying, spines sunned, spine labels darkened, worn, chipped and stained, volume 1 with couple spots on front cover, hinges loose, contents edge toned but still a decent, usable set of Twain's Collected Works. LIMITED TO 1024 NUMBERED SETS, VOLUME ONE IS SIGNED BY ALBERT BIGELOW PAINE, ALSO WITH DOUBLE SIGNATURE OF MARK TWAIN / S.L. CLEMENS.

Condition: Fine. Size: 22.8x15.5cm. Number of books: 37 volumes.