Mark Twain’s Autobiography

New York & London: Harper & Brothers, 1924. FIRST EDITION, FIRST PRINTING. Including duplicated half-title in Volume II and a list of books by Twain at the end. Sepia-toned frontispiece in each volume. Original publisher’s cloth with Twain’s facsimile signature in gilt on covers, top edge gilt, original light blue dust jackets and slipcase, small tears to dust jackets, slipcase without a spine; interior pages bright and crisp. Presentation copy from Paine signed “For Mr. Earl J. Bonheimer, sincerely Albert Bigelow Paine Nov 12/24.” Pasted into Volume I are 3 unused Russian and Romanian postage stamps commemorating Mark Twain from 1960, Volume II also with an unused Russian postage stamp. First edition, first printing, suggested state “A” (see BAL). This autobiography is not a formal document of the author’s colorful life, but a collection of anecdotes and stories from his boyhood in Missouri, remembrances of his family, and details of his relationships with everyone from presidents to personal friends, told without regard to chronology. During his lifetime, Clemens claimed his autobiography would be so shocking that a hundred-year moratorium should be placed on its publication. However, fragments of his recollections were assembled and published within fifteen years of his death.

Clemens (1835-1910), who wrote under the pen name Mark Twain, is considered one of America’s all time greatest humorists and writers. This text provides a unique portrait of the artist as a man. The excerpts assembled here were compiled by his friend, biographer, and literary executor Albert Bigelow Paine (1861-1931). Paine, a respected author in his own right, was a member of the Pulitzer Prize Committee and received the title of Chevalier in the French government’s Legion of Honor for his book on Joan of Arc.