Life on the Mississippi
London: Chatto and Windus, 1883. First Edition. The true first edition, preceding the American edition by 5 days. First binding with 32 pages of ads dated March 1883. Over 300 engravings by various artists. Spine faded half a shade, foxing to title and frontispiece from the tissue guard that’s between them, else near fine condition, uncharacteristically little wear, an unusual survivor. Scarce in this condition. Item #1052
Life on the Mississippi is part memoir, part travel book. It tells of Mark Twain’s period as a steamboat apprentice and then a pilot on the Mississippi River before the American Civil War. It also describes his trip along the Mississippi River from St. Louis to New Orleans many years later. The book opens with a brief history of the river beginning with the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto in 1542. It continues with anecdotes of Twain’s training as a steamboat pilot, as the ‘cub’ (intern) of an experienced pilot, Horace E. Bixby. Twain describes the science of navigating the Mississippi in a section that was first published in 1876, entitled “Old Times on the Mississippi.” Although Twain was actually 21 when he began his training, Twain the storyteller makes himself appear somewhat younger, referring to himself as a “fledgling” and a “boy” who “ran away from home” to seek his fortune on the river. He also tells the reader about the later competition from railroads, and of the new cities, and adds his observations on greed, gullibility, tragedy, and bad architecture.
Price: $2,000.00