Hartford, Conn. The American Publishing Company, 1876. First edition. First printing, with the half-title and the frontis illustration on separate leaves. Collates complete as per BAL 3369 with the triple fly-leaves on laid paper, front and back, and four pages of publisher's ads following the novel. A Fine unrestored copy. Exceptional condition for a book that is almost never seen in this condition. The Bradley Martin copy brought $43,750 (Christies 2012), arguably a Near Fine copy (and inferior to this one), the Drapkin copy brought $54,000 (Christies 2005) also arguably Near Fine, but with Merle Johnson's annotations, the Armour copy brought $66,000 (Christies 2005) also arguably Near Fine, and the Safford copy brought $54,000 (Sothebys 2003).

One of the classic American novels, Twain’s bildungsroman follows the adventures of Tom Sawyer – and his friend Huck Finn -- in St. Petersburg, Missouri told with Twain’s characteristic and unmatchable wit and humor. It would become his best-selling book and its sequel, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” is arguably the greatest American novel of all time.

“Mr. Samuel Clemens has taken the boy of the Southwest for the hero of his new book… and has presented him with a fidelity to circumstance which loses no charm by being realistic in the highest degree, and which gives incomparably the best picture of life in that region as yet known to fiction.” (Contemporary Atlantic Monthly Review). Fine (Item #3064)