Description
First pirated edition of Old Times on the Mississippi by Mark Twain.
Octavo, [3]-157, [1], [2pp ads]. Publisher’s original brown cloth, title in gilt on spine, title in gilt on cover with decorative design in black. A mixed issue variant, with an advertisement not mentioned in BAL. Includes an advertisement for Tom Sawyer opposite the title page, imprint in roman numerals and an advertisement for Pausanias the Spartan (BAL 3368, Reprint B). The last advertisement is for Capital New Books, which is not mentioned in BAL.
Previous owner’s bookplate, with date of May 30, 1877 in pencil on front fly leaf. A scarce copy, with only one known copy appearing at auction.
This work was first published in The Atlantic Monthly, from January – August of 1875. The first authorized publication in book form was included as part of Life on the Mississippi in 1883.
