TWAIN, Mark; CLEMENS, Samuel Langhorne — Mark Twain's Sketches, New and Old

Hartford, Conn.: The American Publishing Company, 1893. A Gilt-Stamped Showpiece of Twainiana "Sketches, New and Old" in a Striking Publisher's Binding TWAIN, Mark. Mark Twain's Sketches, New and Old. Now First Published in Complete Form. Hartford, Conn.: The American Publishing Company, 1893. Later edition. Quarto (8 3/8 x 6 5/8 inches; 213 x 168 mm.). [8], [17], 18-320 pp. Publisher's blue cloth, covers and spine richly decorated in gilt and black. Front inner hinge slightly cracked, otherwise a very fine and unusually bright example, the elaborate gilt stamping exceptionally well preserved. A handsome and substantial collected edition of Twain's shorter writings, gathering together many of his most celebrated sketches, anecdotes, and comic pieces in what was promoted as the first "complete" form of the material. Originally issued by subscription, as was typical of the American Publishing Company, volumes such as this were designed to impress - both in scale and in presentation. The result is one of the more visually striking Twain bindings of the period, with bold gilt ornamentation and typographic display intended to command attention in the parlor or library. The contents span Twain's early and middle career, including travel sketches, frontier humor, and satirical pieces that helped establish his reputation as America's preeminent humorist. Read together, they offer a panoramic view of Twain's development - from the rough-hewn wit of the West to the more polished irony of his later style. .