[Rarebooks] FS: First Edition of HUCKLEBERRY FINN in scarcest binding

[Charles Agvent]

TWAIN,  Mark  [CLEMENS, Samuel]. ADVENTURES OF  HUCKLEBERRY  FINN.
(TOM  SAWYER'S COMRADE). SCENE: THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. TIME: FORTY TO
FIFTY  YEARS  AGO. New York: Charles L. Webster & Company 1885.  First
Edition.  First  Printing. Publisher's library binding of full  sheep,
the  scarcest  of  the bindings for this title, here  very  skillfully
rebacked  retaining  the  original  leather  spine  labels.  With  174
illustrations  by  E.  W. Kemble. BAL 3415. Earliest  issue  for  four
points  of  BAL's seven points and with McBride's point. Recent  Twain
scholarship  convincingly establishes three changes from the  printing
plates  of the first printing of 30,000 copies and later printings: 1)
an  erroneous  page  reference "88" on page 13 later changed  to  "87"
(BAL's  point  2);  2) the misprint "with the was" on  page  57  later
corrected  to  "with  the saw" (BAL's point 3); and  3)  the  misprint
"Decided"  on  page 9 later changed to "Decides" (not noted  by  BAL).
This  copy has all three first printing points as well as most of  the
earliest  points  for BAL, lacking only the conjugate title  page  and
having  the  conjugate  page  283  with   the  vertical  fly  and  the
frontispiece  with the credit to Heliotype but without the scarf. Laid
in  is  a  lottery  ticket  for the  New  Catholic  Orphan  Asylum  in
Minneapolis  dated  12 September 1885. First prize was a building  lot
in  Lakeview.  Hinges  tight. Internally a very clean  copy  and  very
unusual  as such. Light wear to corners, faint tape stains to  boards.
Near Fine                                                   $15000.00

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CHARLES AGVENT
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Mertztown, PA  19539-8750
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