Twain, Mark [Clemens, S. L.] THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER. New York: Charles L. Webster, 1885. First edition, second state of text, later issue with cancel title-page with Webster imprint. Original green cloth, gilt, with Webster imprint at foot. Some fraying of spine ends and corners, light general rubbing; a very good copy. This is the first of the two Webster re-issues using unsold sheets of the first edition of this title (there was a second in 1887). In 1884, after Osgood went bankrupt, Webster took over the unsold sheets of all of Twain's Osgood printings and re-issued this title with cancel title-pages. From Osgood, Webster obtained 4,550 unfolded sets of sheets of THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER, 50 folded sets of sheets, and 266 bound copies. Webster reprinted the book from the original plates in 1889, 1890, and 1891, and in 1892 issued a new edition from a new set of plates. Oddly, this 1885 re-issue of THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER is unrecorded, but BAL does note one of the similar Webster re-issues of Osgood's sheets of LIFE ON THE MISSISSIPPI (1891), in which Webster used a cancel title-page on first edition sheets. Peter Parley to Penrod, pp. 65-6. BAL 3402.

Synopsis

The Prince and the Pauper is an English language novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada before its 1882 publication in the United States. The book represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction. Set in 1547, the novel tells the story of two young boys who are identical in appearance: Tom Canty, a pauper who lives with his abusive father in Offal Court, London, and Edward VI of England, son of Henry VIII of England.

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Details

Bookseller: Mac Donnell Rare Books (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #: 18724
Title: PRINCE AND THE PAUPER
Author: Twain, Mark [Clemens, S. L.]
Book Condition: Used
Binding: Hardcover
Keywords: BINDING , PPP , WEBSTER , CHILDREN

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The owner of Mac Donnell Rare Books is a former rare book librarian and widely published bibliographer with more than 40 years experience in rare books. We maintain a fine rare book inventory of 19th and 20th century American and English literary first editions, association copies, and autographs, with a specialty in Mark Twain. We also offer qualified tax and insurance appraisals, and library development consultation.

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Spine: The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
BAL: Bibliography of American Literature (commonly abbreviated as BAL in descriptions) is the quintessential reference work for any...
Cloth: "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
Second State: used in book collecting to refer to a first edition, but after some change has been made in the printing, such as a correction,...
Gilt: The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
First Edition: In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
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