A True Story, and the Recent Carnival of Crime

Boston: James R. Osgood, 1877. First edition. Very Good +. A Very Good+ copy overall, spine very slightly cocked and a little dulled (with minor wear at the extremities). Original terra cotta cloth, stamped in black and gold. Endpapers printed in red with publisher's advertisements. This is Blanck's first binding state, with the JRO & CO monogram on the front of the cover. Each of these two sketches first appeared in the Atlantic Monthly: "A True Story" in November 1874; and "Facts Concerning the Recent Carnival of Crime" in June 1876. The first book appearance of "A True Story" was in Sketches New and Old in 1875, though "The Recent Carnival of Crime" had not appeared in book form before its publication here. This tiny pocket book was issued in Osgood's popular Vest-Pocket Series.

Twain invested years of work into this rare little book, which collects two stories originally published separately. "A True Story," which purports to be the true account of a former slave, is the heart-wrenching tale of an enslaved family separated on the auction block. Twain revised the story endlessly in an attempt to make the story's dialect feel authentic. "The Recent Carnival of Crime" is based on the premise that a man who kills his conscience is joyously liberated. These short pieces illustrate Twain's social conscience, his skill as a storyteller, and his use of humor. Very Good +.