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MICAH CLARKE. His Statement

Doyle, A. Conan [a fine, bright copy] As made to his Three Grandchildren Joseph, Gervas, & Reuben during the Hard Winter of 1734. London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1889. 2 pp undated ads + 16 pp ads dated January 1889. Original very dark blue cloth, beveled edges. First Edition, consisting of only 1000 copies. This historical novel was Doyle's third book -- his first hardcover one, preceded only by the two wrappered titles A STUDY IN SCARLET and THE MYSTERY OF CLOOMBER. MICAH CLARKE was quite successful, running through several quick printings, though Doyle had had to take it to numerous publishers before Andrew Lang at Longmans finally accepted it. [Doyle] brought together his knowledge of the seventeenth century and supplemented it with months of research on detail. Then, at intervals of tramping medical rounds or studying optics at the Portsmouth Eye Hospital, he wrote the book in three months. Now the power of MICAH CLARKE, aside from its best action scenes -- the bloodhounds on Salisbury Plain, the brush with the King's Dragoons, the fight in Wells Cathedral, the blinding battle-piece at Sedgemoor -- still lies in its characterization: that other imagination, the use of homely detail, by which each character grows into life before ever a shot is fired in war [Carr]. This copy has the "standard" ad catalogue dated January 1889; there exist copies with leftover catalogues dated as early as June 1888, but the book was not actually published until February 1889. This is quite simply a fine, bright copy -- essentially no soil or wear, original patterned endpapers clean and intact. Although surprisingly not a scarce title, we have had no better copy in our ca. 45 years in business. Green & Gibson A3a.
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THE SECRET AGENT. A Simple Tale

London: Methuen & Co., (1907). 40 pp ads dated Sept 1907. Original deep red cloth with gilt-decorated spine. First Edition of Conrad's tale of espionage sited in Russia. The idea for the story came from an actual 1890s revolutionary attempt to blow up the Observatory at Greenwich. Conrad initially planned this to be a short story (titled "Verloc"); however, as he "got into" it, he lengthened it into a full-blown novel. He then strove to make it a popular novel, one that would provide him with the cash he needed to get out from under pressing debts; however, after an initial flourish, sales dropped off and the book was not reprinted until 1914, after the success of CHANCE reawakened interest in Conrad. The initial printing consisted of 2,500 copies, including 500 for the colonies plus 500 for Canada. However, the good initial reception of the book prompted the publisher to use the colonial copies for the domestic market instead, replacing the colonial half-title and title with the standard domestic one -- "there is no visible evidence of cancellation and for all practical purposes we must regard these copies as indistinguishable from the regular domestic issue" [Cagle]. This is a very good-plus copy (minor rubbing at the corners, spine slightly faded as usual); the original endpapers are intact, and atypically there is no foxing. In our experience LORD JIM, YOUTH and THE SECRET AGENT are the toughest of Conrad's first published editions to find in collectible condition. Supino A12.1.0; Cagle A12a(1); a "Modern Library 100" selection and a "Connolly 100 Key Books of the Modern Movement" selection. Provenance: Indiana University bookplate of Fred Bates ["Pappy"] Johnson (1880-1963), who as an Indianapolis newspaperman was instrumental in the formation of IU's School of Journalism; he later went into the law.
THE OUTLINE OF HISTORY [in 24 fortnightly parts]

THE OUTLINE OF HISTORY [in 24 fortnightly parts]

Wells, H.G. Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind. London: George Newnes, [Nov 1919 - Nov 1920]. Original color pictorial wrappers. First Appearance of this grandiose work, in the 24 fortnightly wrappered parts as originally issued. [Wells] and his friends on the League of Nations committee had discussed textbooks and methods of education, as a way of preventing further wars, but. they refused, on the grounds of lack of time, lack of formal preparation, and unwillingness to give the effort. Wells decided that he must do it himself. He and Jane agreed to take a year to research, formulate, and write a book designed to replace the histories then available. It was a remarkable gamble. The income from Wells's past writing would inevitably dry up during such a year. The boys were still at school and in university, [and] Wells was responsible for the care and education of his child by Rebecca West. So, late in 1918, about Christmas, H.G. and Jane sat down to begin work on what would be one of the more significant and widely read books of our century, THE OUTLINE OF HISTORY. As we look back on the OUTLINE today, it is clear that the work made a number of significant contributions to our understanding of the past. Some of these were revolutionary enough still to strike chords of admiration, and, one supposes, discords of fear and hatred. Their impact on Wells himself was immense, and much of his later writing. are imbued with his historical findings" [Smith]. A complete set includes 47 color plates (two in each part except one in the 13th), one of which is usually reproduced as the cover illustration. Part 12 includes the slip for having the first half of THE OUTLINE bound up, and Part 15 has the front-cover slip citing the price increase. These parts were issued in considerable numbers, but buyers were urged (by ads on some of the issues' rear cover) to have them bound up in two volumes for posterity; those that were not so bound seldom survive in collectible condition today. This, however, is a near-fine set, with scarcely any of the usual wear to the delicate spines -- thus, a scarce set in this condition. Wells Soc. 70 (note); Hammond E18 (note). Housed in a simple but sturdy cloth case that has gilt lettering on its cover rather than on its spine.
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THE HAUNTED MAN and THE GHOST’S BARGAIN

Dickens, Charles A Fancy for Christmas-Time. New York: Harper & Brothers, n.d. [1849]. 2 pp undated ads. Original brown printed wrappers. First American Edition of Dickens's fifth and last Christmas book; there had been no late-1847 Christmas book, as Dickens had then been busy with DOMBEY AND SON. Though undated, this Harper edition in wrappers came out on January 6, 1849; this is earlier in January than was the case for their four previous Christmas books, and for good reason: in December Harper had paid Dickens five pounds for advance sheets -- the first amount an American publisher paid Dickens for a Christmas book. With the earlier four books, several American publishers leapt at the chance to be first; however, for this one, since Harper had a head-start, no other American publisher bothered to make the effort. In this copy, the (inside and outside) wrapper ads are the primary ones cited by Smith; the terminal ad leaf (pp [35-36]) has "Valuable Geographic Works" (Smith's state "c") on the recto, and "Harper's Family Library" (Smith's state "f") on the verso. Smith notes that "it is not possible to prioritize the states [of the ad leaf] accurately." This copy is in near-fine condition, with the front wrapper unusually clean and the delicate spine quite intact. There are a few marks on the rear wrapper, the usual foxing on the leaves within, plus some wear at the fore- and lower edge of the wrapper -- a common problem for this booklet, as the wrapper extends past the textual leaves. There is also a little marginal damage to some leaves, due to improper opening. We do not see this book in much better condition. Smith pp 104-107; Podeschi (Yale) A120; Carr (UTexas) B426(1).
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Autograph Letter Signed (“Mark”) to “Friend Frank [Bliss]”

Twain, Mark "Elmira [NY], Apl. 19 [1872]." One side of a sheet of lined paper, with "Saml. Clemens | Elmira | April 19/72" written (by the recipient?) on the verso. The text of this early letter reads: What is your _new_ number? I only know 149 Asylum. Wm. C. Smythe (whose letter I enclose) [not included] is a splendid old friend of mine. He is city editor of the principal Pittsburgh paper -- a city _where I drew the largest audience ever assembled in Pittsburgh to hear a lecture._ Send him a book. I want a _big_ sale in Pittsburgh. _Mark_ Francis Edward Bliss (1843-1915) was the son of Elisha Bliss, who had founded the American Publishing Company in Hartford; "Frank" left a banking career to join his father's company in the 1860s, and was soon Treasurer. In 1867 Elisha had gotten in touch with fledgling newspaper journalist "Mark Twain," and by the time of this April 1872 letter, APC had published Twain's THE INNOCENTS ABROAD (1869), and (in February 1872) ROUGHING IT; it would soon publish THE GILDED AGE (1873) and then THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER (1876). Elisha died in 1880, leaving the company in the hands of Frank and his brother Walter. By 1880 MT thought he had had enough of [Frank] Bliss, who turned out to be as good at misleading his authors as he was at misleading the public. The established Boston firm of Osgood & Company brought out two MT books -- The Prince and the Pauper and Life on the Mississippi -- but by 1884 MT had founded his own publishing house: Webster & Co. Its first book was Huck Finn [UVa]. This letter shows that even as early as 1872, Twain's swagger was evident -- underlining his entire boast (exaggeration?) of the crowd he had recently drawn in Pittsburgh (his "Roughing It" lecture, at Library Hall on January 12, 1872), and ordering his publisher to "send him a book" because "I want a big sale." The letter is in very good condition, with horizontal folds from original mailing and a vertical fold (one short split) from Bliss's filing; there are also a few pinholes probably due to Bliss's filing process. Provenance: though not so identified, this letter came from the renowned Fred Bentley Sr. collection of Mark Twain.
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DR. OX’S EXPERIMENT, and other Stories

With Numerous Illustrations. London: Sampson Low, Marston, Low, & Searle, 1874. Original deep red pebble-grain cloth pictorially decorated in black and gilt, board edges beveled, all page edges gilt. First English Edition (and first fully-illustrated edition in the English language) of these four tales, three of which are among Verne's earliest: "A Drama in the Air" (appeared in a periodical in 1851, his second story), "Master Zacharius" (1854, his fourth), and "A Winter amid the Ice" (1855, his fifth). Also included (of course) is "Dr. Ox's Experiment" from 1872 -- plus "Ascent of Mont Blanc" by Jules's brother Paul Verne. "Dr. Ox's Experiment" is a great tale: Doctor Ox and his assistant Ygene come to the small quiet community of Quiquendone located in Flanders. He promises to light this town with a network of oxyhydric gas pipes. During the construction of this network, the quiet community becomes quite excitable, to the point where they are ready to go to war against a neighboring community. But what is the cause of this change in the nature of the good people of Quiquendone? Perhaps it is something in the air. .and so is "Master Zacharius". As a clockmaker in Geneva Switzlerland begins dying, all of the timepieces that he has crafted begin failing as though a part of his soul became a part of each of them. Soon only one of his timepieces remains functional, and for the clockmaker to gain possession of it, he must give his daughter's hand in marriage to a man who works for the devil himself. [quotes from Kytasaari] This fully-illustrated London edition came out in November 1874 (with "Master Zacharias" misspelled thus on front cover and spine); the gilt vignette on the spine shows the grinning character "Time," from the story "Master Zacharius." This edition was preceded by a small unillustrated edition by Osgood of Boston, and by a semi-illustrated edition titled FROM THE CLOUDS TO THE MOUNTAINS by Gill of Boston; following this British edition, in mid-1875 Osgood came out with a fully-illustrated American edition, using these British sheets. This is a copy bound without an ad catalogue at the rear, in deep red cloth (we have also handled copies in brown, blue, green, and purple -- no precedence). Its condition is very good-plus (front endpaper slightly cracked, very minor wear at the extremities, but very little other wear, and with the cover gilt brighter than usual); typically for deep red cloth, the spine is slightly faded. This is a rather uncommon edition, with a terrific binding design. Taves & Michaluk V012; Mistichelli et al. A34; Myers 16. Provenance: frontispiece recto signature and small inkstamp of Jno. A Goold.
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ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN

Twain, Mark [Samuel L. Clemens] [a handsome copy] (Tom Sawyer's Comrade.) With One Hundred and Seventy-Four Illustrations. New York: Charles L. Webster and Company, 1885. Original green cloth pictorially decorated in black and gilt. First American Edition, with most issue points in the second state, of Twain's classic tale of boyhood in mid-19th Century America. HUCK FINN has quite a number of issue points, and in some instances bibliographers disagree on priority; what is generally agreed-upon today, however, is that there are three important issue points (with actual changes of text), plus numerous unimportant issue points (due to variant preliminary leaves supplied from different sources, or due to type-slippage during the print run). This copy has all three "important" issue points in their second state: (1) p. [9]: ".Huck Decides to Leave." (changed from "Decided"); (2) p. [13]: "Him and another Man" is correctly listed as at page 87 (changed from page 88); (3) p. 57: ".with the saw.", corrected from ".with the was.". For those who care what the unimportant issue points are, they are: (1) frontispiece portrait: no "Heliotype," no scarf visible; (2) title page: integral, with copyright dated 1884 on the verso; (3) p. 143: "Col." printed correctly; (4) p. 155: final "5" of page number in a different font (type slippage / replacement); (5) p. 161: signature mark "11" missing; (6) p. 283: corrected illustration, as always with cloth-bound copies. As for condition, this is a remarkably bright, close-to-fine copy. There is a tiny bit of wear at the bottom of the spine and at the upper half-inch of the front joint, and the fore-edge of the two leaves pp 169-172 are damaged due to improper opening; also (see below), the title page bears the red inkstamp of Golden Rule / W.H. Elsinger & Co. of St. Paul Minnesota. The original endpapers are clean and intact, and the gilt remains bright, even on the spine. A first-state copy in this condition would be listed at $20,000-$35,000. Blanck 3415; McBride pp 92-110. Provenance: inkstamp cited above, probably the initial store to sell this copy; calligraphic flyleaf inscription "To Moses Fantle | Compliments of Mrs D. Marx". "Charles Fantle Sr. had operated a mercantile in Ann Arbor, Mich., later opening locations in St. Paul and Hudson, Wis. He sent sons William and Moses Fantle west with a wagon full of goods to open a Fantle Brothers store in Yankton [So. Dakota]. The store known as The Big Store opened there in 1893. [Renshaw]. Fantles and Marxes were listed by Rosenblum as "Jewish Pioneers of Saint Paul 1849-1874."
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THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER

Twain, Mark Hartford [etc.]: The American Publishing Company, 1876. 4 pp ads dated 1 Dec 1876. Original blue cloth decorated in black and gilt. First American Edition, second state (i.e. with the frontispiece on the verso of the half-title, rather than on a separate adjacent leaf). Because such copies appear on laid paper, on wove paper, or on a combination of both papers, it is uncertain whether this second state consists of one or two (or possibly even three) printings. This copy is printed throughout on laid paper, and has mispaginated preliminary leaves (Blanck's "arbitrarily designated" state A). In our experience this second state is the variant of TOM SAWYER usually encountered -- though TOM has become somewhat uncommon in any state (much less common than HUCKLEBERRY FINN, for example). Close to near-fine, this copy is unusually bright, including the gilt both on the front cover and on the spine. It does have moderate wear at the extremities, and along the fore-edge of the first two (blank) leaves; the inner hinges are intact. (Obviously the first state is preferable, but a copy in this condition would have a price between $15,000 and $25,000). One of the great classics of American literature, as enjoyable today as it was 150 years ago. Blanck 3369; McBride pp 40-42; a Johnson High Spot ("recognized as one of the supreme portrayals of boy character"). Provenance: armorial bookplate of Samuel Strong Spaulding (1849-1933, of Buffalo and Cooperstown), with his penciled signature dated February 1877.