ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER

Twain, Mark [Clemens, S. L.] THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER. New York: Harper, 1910. First edition thus, illustrated by Worth Brehm. Original red cloth, gilt, t.e.g. A very good copy of a very scarce book. This edition was copyrighted October 13, 1910. These illustrations by Brehm (1883-1928) were extremely popular. The commonly seen 1920s undated reprints (black cloth, color printed label on front cover) are frequently mistaken (or misrepreented) as the 1910 first edition; the first edition (clearly dated "MCMX" on the title-page) is extremely scarce in the market for reasons that are not entirely clear, but the etxt block is too heavy for the binding an the unsized cloth would be prone to dust and moisture damage; the only other copy we have seen in the market in recent years was a rebound copy sold for $1,500 in 2012, and we find no copies in the auction records in recent decades. The size of the print run is unknown. An edition of ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN appeared in 1923 with Brehm's illustrations and was soon offered along with TOM SAWYER in a boxed set marketed as `The Holiday Edition.' Brehms illustrations were the most familiar images associated with these books for the next fifty years and even influenced how Tom and Huck were depicted in the movies during that time. (Inventory #: 23152)