[Rarebooks] FS: Signed by Teddy Roosevelt, Mark Twain, Andrew Carnegie, and 106 other American writers

[Charles Agvent]

Just arrived and not yet listed anywhere.

ROOSEVELT, Theodore (Teddy); TWAIN, MARK [Samuel Clemens]; et. al.
LIBER  SCRIPTORUM.  THE FIRST BOOK OF THE AUTHORS CLUB. New York:  The
Authors  Club  1893.  First  Edition.  Thick  folio  (10"  x  13")  in
publisher's   full  dark  brown  morocco   with  ornately  blind-  and
gilt-tooled  spines  and  boards, top edge gilt, uncut. Copy  #120  of
only  251  copies  SIGNED by each of the 109 contributors,  all  noted
American  authors  of  the time, the most prominent being  Mark  Twain
("The  Californian's  Tale,"  the first appearance in  print  of  this
story),  Teddy  Roosevelt  ("A  Shot  at a  Bull  Elk"),  and  Andrew
Carnegie  ("Genius Illustrated from Burns"). This book was created  as
a  means  to raise money for a permanent home for the  Author's  Club,
organized  in 1882. Each member contributed an original essay,  story,
or  poem  that was intended never to be published  elsewhere  (Twain's
story  was  included  in THE $30,000 BEQUEST in 1906).  The  book  was
printed  by club member Theodore Low De Vinne and sold for $100,  more
than  $2000  in today's currency. Other contributors  include  William
Dean  Howells,  Henry  Van Dyke, John Hay,  Percival  Lowell,  Charles
Warner,  F. Hopkinson Smith, Will Carleton, and Frank R. Stockton. BAL
3438.  In  his  bibliography of Mark Twain, Merle Johnson  notes  that
though  "there  are presumed to be 251 copies of the  book;  actually,
over  30 of these were not bound but were sold as separate  articles."
Many  copies  have  also  been broken up over the years  so  that  the
autographs  could be sold separately. Most intact copies now reside in
institutions.  Minor scuffing. Near Fine and quite scarce,  especially
in this condition.                                            $9500.00

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