Life on the Mississippi

London: Chatto & Windus, 1883. FIRST ENGLISH EDITION, FIRST STATE. Frontispiece engraving of a New Orleans steamboat with tissue guard and over 300 black and white illustrations throughout. Original illustrated red publisher’s cloth with title in gilt on front and illustration of a steamboat captain on the spine; brown floral endpapers, spine a bit faded but otherwise a very good copy with the ownership signature of Catherine L. Paton dated 6th June 1883 on the fly-leaf. First English edition, first issue with the March 1883 publisher’s advertisements (predating the American first edition by less than a week). In this largely autobiographical narrative, Twain retells a rich account of his early years navigating the Mississippi River. An illustrative “account of the steamboat age, the science of river piloting, and the life of the river itself from the point of view of those who made their life living it,” Life on the Mississippi is revered as a valued piece of the American legacy. The book explores the history of steamboat culture as a work of fiction, historical text, and travel book. It highlights the ever-present competition from railroads and the new and large cities characterized by greed, tragedy, and gullibility.

Lauded at the “Father of American Literature,” Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910), better known by his most-used pen name, Mark Twain, is a hallmark of classic American literature. Known for his other famous works, The adventures of Tom Sawyer and its sequel, The adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain is known for his radical civil rights views and often-censored subject matter. His works run the gamut from novels, to collections of letters, to humorous stories about nineteenth century steamboat culture.

BAL, 3410.