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Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain, First UK Edition, in Original Boards

Creator: Mark Twain
Offered by: The Great Republic

Description
Twain, Mark. Life on the Mississippi. With over 300 illustrations. London: Chatto & Windus, 1883. First UK Edition. 8vo. Original red pictorial cloth boards, embossed in black and lettered in gilt. Illustrated.

Presented is the first UK edition of Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain. The book was published by Chatto & Windus, in London in 1883. This UK first edition precedes the American first edition by five days. The book is presented in its original red cloth pictorial boards, embossed in black and lettered in gilt on the front and spine, and profusely illustrated throughout, with over 300 illustrations.

Life on the Mississippi is the memoir of Twain’s days as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River. The book portrays the lives of people along the banks of the famous river. Through his anecdotes, Twain describes the steamboat age and provides his own commentary on greed, gullibility, and architecture. The story takes place just before the Civil War amongst rapid change in the still-young country. In the book, Twain comments on the spread of railroads throughout the South and West to compete with steamboats, as well as the lifestyles of the people who rely on the river for everyday life.

"The material offered by observations on the journey is various beyond enumeration, and much of it is extremely amusing. Hoaxes and exaggerations palmed off by pilots and other natives along the way upon supposed ignorant strangers; stories of gamblers and obsolete robbers; glimpses of character and manners; descriptions of scenery and places; statistics of trade; Indian legends; extracts from the comments of foreign travelers, -- all these occur, interspersed with two or three stories of either humorous or tragic import, or of both together" (The Atlantic Monthly, September 1883).

CONDITION:

Very good condition. First UK Edition. 8vo. Original red pictorial cloth boards embossed and stamped with black illustrations on the front and spine, gilt titles to front and spine, black embossed Chatto & Windus logo on back boards. The front and back boards are very bright, the spine’s red cloth has darkened. Spine is faded and rubbed at extremities. Original endpapers. Hinges repaired at folds and corners a little rubbed. Minor splitting of endpapers along the front hinge at top and back hinges, but still intact. Clean interior pages, with light toning and occasional spotting. Frontispiece illustration of "The 'Baton Rouge'" plus over 300 more black and white illustrations. 561 pp., plus 32 pp. publisher's catalog "Chatto & Windus's List of Books," dated March 1883. BAL 3410.

Dimensions: 7 5/8" H x 5 1/2" W x 1 5/8" D.

Accompanied by our company's letter of authenticity.

More Information

Documentation:	Certificate of Authenticity
Period:	19th Century
Creation Date:	1883
Styles / Movements:	Traditional
Incollect Reference #:	805026

Dimensions

W.	5.5 in;	H.	7.625 in;	D.	1.625 in;
W.	13.97 cm;	H.	19.37 cm;	D.	4.13 cm;

Message from Seller:

Established in 2010, The Great Republic specializes in one-of-a-kind collectibles that honor American history, with a special focus on the rare and unique. Our collection is complete with rarities that are sure to wow, such as first edition books, antique hand-sewn flags from the Civil War, vintage travel posters, and original signatures from American presidents, such as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, just to name a few. P: 719.471.6157 E: headquarters@great-republic.com