Mark Twain

"I like Joan of Arc best of all my books; and it is the best; I know it perfectly well."-Mark TwainPersonal Recollections of Joan of Arc, by the Sieur Louis de Conte (1896) was Mark Twain's last completed novel, offering a portrait of Joan of Arc (1412-1431), the French heroine and a national symbol of France. At the age of seventeen, she led a French army to defeat the English during the Hundred Years' War. In 1430, she was captured by a group of French nobles allied with the English and was burned at the stake by the English. In 1920, she was canonized as a Catholic Saint. Although not as well-known as some of Twain's other works, this replica with drawings by illustrator Frank DuMond is a beautiful piece of historical fiction.

"I like Joan of Arc best of all my books; and it is the best; I know it perfectly well."-Mark Twain Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, by the Sieur Louis de Conte (1896) was Mark Twain's last completed novel, offering a portrait of Joan of Arc (1412-1431), the French heroine and a national symbol of France. At the age of seventeen, she led a French army to defeat the English during the Hundred Years' War. In 1430, she was captured by a group of French nobles allied with the English and was burned at the stake by the English. In 1920, she was canonized as a Catholic Saint. Although not as well-known as some of Twain's other works, this jacketed hardcover replica with drawings by illustrator Frank DuMond is a beautiful piece of historical fiction.

The Tragedy Of Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894) is a novel by American writer Mark Twain. Its central intrigue revolves around two boys - one, born into slavery, with 1/32 black ancestry; the other, white, born to be the master of the house. The two boys, who look similar, are switched at infancy. Each grows into the other's social role. The story was serialized in The Century Magazine (1893-4), before being published as a novel in 1894. The setting is the fictional Missouri frontier town of Dawson's Landing on the banks of the Mississippi River in the first half of the 19th century. David Wilson, a young lawyer, moves to town and a clever remark of his is misunderstood, which causes locals to brand him a "pudd'nhead" (nitwit). His hobby of collecting fingerprints does not raise his standing in the eyes of the townsfolk, who consider him to be eccentric and do not frequent his law practice. Source: Wikipedia

"I was a twenty-seven-year-old mining-broker's clerk in San Francisco, and an expert in all the details of stock traffic. I was alone in the world and had nothing to depend upon but my wits and a clean reputation; but these were setting my feet in the road to eventual fortune, and I was content with the prospect."-The 1,000,000 Bank Note (1893)The 1,000,000 Bank Note and Other New Stories (1893) is a collection of nine humorous short stories by Mark Twain. The title story is an entertaining tale about how a bet between two rich English gentleman results in a poor clerk from San Francisco gaining wealth and status in London society. Movie fans will recognize this story as the inspiration for the 1980s movie Trading Places. This replica of the 1893 edition of The 1,000,000 Bank Note and Other New Stories is a charming addition to anyone's library of Mark Twain books.

"I was a twenty-seven-year-old mining-broker's clerk in San Francisco, andan expert in all the details of stock traffic. I was alone in the world and had nothing to depend upon but my wits and a clean reputation; but these were setting my feet in the road to eventual fortune, and I was content with the prospect."-The 1,000,000 Bank Note (1893) The 1,000,000 Bank Note and Other New Stories (1893) is a collection of nine humorous short stories by Mark Twain. The title story is an entertaining tale about how a bet between two rich English gentleman results in a poor clerk from San Francisco gaining wealth and status in London society. Movie fans will recognize this story as the inspiration for the 1980s movie Trading Places. This replica of the 1893 edition of The 1,000,000 Bank Note and Other New Stories is a charming addition to anyone's library of Mark Twain books.

"I have scattered through this volume a mass of matter which has never been in print before (...) not doing this in order to make an advertisement of it, but because these things seemedinstructive.-Mark Twain, Preface Sketches New and Old (1875) Sketches New and Old (1875) by Mark Twain is a collection of short stories published first as newspaper articles all with Twain's humorous writing style. This jacketed hardcover replica of the 1893 edition of Sketches New and Old, with the authentic illustrations by True Williams is an enjoyable little read.

" '...and a manner so peculiar and romantic, and extraneous, and ad libitum, and heart-searching, that- that- he- he is an impressionist, I presume' 'No, ' said the captain simply, 'he is a Presbyterian.' "-Mark Twain, The American Claimant (1892) The American Claimant (1881), by Mark Twain, is a humorous book about mistaken identities. The main characters are Colonel Mulberry Sellers, an eccentric American claimant to the Earldom of Rossmore in England, and Berkeley Rossmore, heir of the Earl of Rossmore, who is captivated by American democracy. This replica of the original edition of The American Claimant, containing 23 illustrations by well-known American illustrator Daniel Beard, is a pleasure to read.

"To no writer can the term 'American' more justly be applied than to the humorist whose Merry Tales are here presented."-Editor's Note, Merry Tales (1892) Merry Tales (1892) is a collection of seven humorous short stories written by Mark Twain in his quintessential satirical style. This collection includes Meisterschaft, a play where two young lovers conduct their courtship in beginning German; Luck, a funny sketch about the military and The Private History of a Campaign That Failed, this collection's most popular story about Twain's experiences during the Civil War. This jacketed hardcover replica of the 1892 edition of Merry Tales is a nice addition to the library of Mark Twain aficionados.

"To no writer can the term 'American' more justly be applied than to the humorist whose Merry Tales are here presented."-Editor's Note, Merry Tales (1892)Merry Tales (1892) is a collection of seven humorous short stories written by Mark Twain in his quintessential satirical style. This collection includes Meisterschaft, a play where two young lovers conduct their courtship in beginning German; Luck, a funny sketch about the military and The Private History of a Campaign That Failed, this collection's most popular story about Twain's experiences during the Civil War. This replica of the 1892 edition of Merry Tales is a nice addition to the library of Mark Twain aficionados.

"Now if there is any one class of their authors whom the American people do know rather better than any other, it is the American humorists, from Washington Irving to Bill Nye... We have tried to arrange our Library so as to include passages representative of every period and section."-The Associate Editors in the modern Introduction to Mark Twain's Library of Humor (1888)Mark Twain's Library of Humor (1875) is a collection of short humorous stories compiled by Mark Twain, including his own essays and those of other popular contemporary writers, such as Washington Irving, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Ambrose Bierce, and many others. This jacketed hardcover replica of the 1888 edition of Mark Twain's Library of Humor, with the authentic illustrations by E. W. Kemble, is an entertaining and humorous book for book lovers and Mark Twain aficionados.

"Now if there is any one class of their authors whom the American people do know rather better than any other, it is the American humorists, from Washington Irving to Bill Nye... We have tried to arrange our Library so as to include passages representative of every period and section."-The Associate Editors in the modern Introduction to Mark Twain's Library of Humor (1888)Mark Twain's Library of Humor (1875) is a collection of short humorous stories compiled by Mark Twain, including his own essays and those of other popular contemporary writers, such as Washington Irving, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Ambrose Bierce, and many others. This replica of the 1888 edition of Mark Twain's Library of Humor, with the authentic illustrations by E. W. Kemble, is an entertaining and humorous book for book lovers and Mark Twain aficionados.

"By Mark Twain's story of the Frog, he scaled the heights of popularity at a single jump, and won for himself the sobriquet of The Wild Humorist of the Pacific Slope."-John Paul, editor, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County (1869)The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County is a short story by Mark Twain, originally published weekly in The Saturday Press in 1865, which brought him his first great success. It is a humoristic story about a gambler, Jim Smiley, who trained a frog named Daniel Webster to jump and then won money by betting on the frog. This edition of Twain's first book The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, And Other Sketches (1867), is an entertaining collection of 27 stories, including the title story.

"A good conscience is eight parts of courage." -Robert Louis Stevenson, CatrionaCatriona-A Sequel to "Kidnapped-Being Memoirs of the Further Adventures of David Balfour at Home and Abroad" (1892) by Robert Louis Stevenson is a companion volume to the author's classic Kidnapped. But it falls more into the category of "historical romance" than its predecessor. Unlike the daring adventures of Kidnapped, Stevenson here attempts to rely instead on building strong characters and a complex plot. This jacketed hardcover edition of Catriona picks up where its prequel ended-at 2 pm on August 25, 1751. It begins as the hero David Balfour, is setting off to win justice for a friend who has been falsely arrested. While not successful in freeing his friend, David's efforts lead him to Catriona and a series of adventures around Europe and involve them in the continental politics of their generation.

"But the basin of the Mississippi is the Body of the Nation... Latitude, elevation, and rainfallall combine to render every part of the Mississippi Valley capable of supporting a dense population. As a dwelling-place for civilized man it is by far the first upon our globe." -Editor's Table, Harper's Magazine (1863) Life on the Mississippi (1883) is a brilliant memoir by Mark Twain of his days as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River before the American Civil War. It is also a history of a mighty river, recounting Twain's trip twenty years later along the Mississippi River from St. Louis to New Orleans. This replica of the original 1883 edition of Life on the Mississippi with illustrations by John Harley, offers a colorful portrait of 19th century America and is a prelude to Twain's great boyhood novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884).

"There is no character, howsoever good and fine, but it can be destroyed by ridicule, howsoever poor and witless."-Mark Twain, The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894)The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson: And the Comedy Those Extraordinary Twins (1894), one of Mark Twain's most entertaining, funny, but also bitter works, takes place during the antebellum in the fictional town of Dawson's Landing on the Mississippi River. It tells the tale of switching identities-one a baby boy born into slavery and the other a baby boy born to be the master of the house. Twain offers his quintessential ironic vision of slavery and race in America, topics that one hundred twenty years after its publication are still haunting the US. Included is the short story of The Comedy Those Extraordinary Twins, which introduces the twins Luigi and Angelo Capello, who also show up in The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson. This replica of the original edition contains unique marginal illustrations-cartoon-sized illustrations in the margins of the text-by the illustrators F. M. Senior and C. H. Warren.

"When I am king they shall not have bread and shelter only, but also teachings out of books, for a full belly is little worth where the mind is starved." -Mark Twain, The Prince and the Pauper (1881) The Prince and the Pauper-A Tale for Young People of All Ages (1881), by Mark Twain, set in 16th-century England, tells the story of two young boys who were born on the same day and are identical in appearance: Tom Canty, a pauper who lives with his abusive father, and Edward VI of England, son of King Henry VIII of England. In this tale, Twain satirizes social conventions and offers a critique of legal and moral injustices. This replica of the original edition of The Prince and the Pauper, containing 192 illustrations by Frank T. Merrill and John Harley, is a testament to the perennial quality of this classic.

" '...and a manner so peculiar and romantic, and extraneous, and ad libitum, and heart-searching, that- that- he- he is an impressionist, I presume' 'No, ' said the captain simply, 'he is a Presbyterian.' "-Mark Twain, The American Claimant (1892) The American Claimant (1881), by Mark Twain, is a humorous book about mistaken identities. The main characters are Colonel Mulberry Sellers, an eccentric American claimant to the Earldom of Rossmore in England, and Berkeley Rossmore, heir of the Earl of Rossmore, who is captivated by American democracy. This jacketed hardcover replica of the original edition of The American Claimant, containing 23 illustrations by well-known American illustrator Daniel Beard, is a pleasure to read.