Historic Antique Book Mark Twain Life On The Mississippi Pub 1917 (tm)SL Clemens

Description: This vintage classic piece of American literature was printed by Harper & Brothers of New York in 1917, the American Artists Edition was their first run of this series with Life on the Mississippi being Volume 7 for the Complete Works of Mark Twain. They later published more of these copies in 1923. This publication is unique bc it shows all the previous copyrights including that belonging to the very Samuel L Clemens, in trademark and copyrights of 1883, 1899, 1903. The edition page also denotes the 1st editions copyrights belonging to HO Houghton & Co. as early as 1874. See photos This book is hardcover, showing some discoloration to page edges, but overall pages look great. Cover looks great. Minor wear for its age! Life on the Mississippi is a memoir by Mark Twain of his days as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River before the American Civil War. It is also a travel book, recounting his trips on the Mississippi River from St. Louis to New Orleans, and then from New Orleans to Saint Paul many years after the war. The book begins with a brief history of the river as reported by Europeans and Americans, 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' (apprentice) of an experienced pilot, Horace E. Bixby. He describes, with great affection, the science of navigating the ever-changing Mississippi River 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, he uses artistic license to make himself seem somewhat younger, referring to himself as a "fledgling" and a "boy" who "ran away from home" to seek his fortune on the river, and playing up his own callowness and naïveté. In the second half, Twain narrates his trip many years later on a steamboat from St. Louis to New Orleans, shortly followed by a steamboat journey from New Orleans to St Paul (with a stop at his boyhood home town of Hannibal, MO). He describes the competition from railroads, and the new, large cities, and adds his observations on greed, gullibility, tragedy, and bad architecture. He also tells some stories that are most likely tall tales.

Price: 23.9 USD

Location: Elizabethton, Tennessee

End Time: 2024-12-13T17:09:35.000Z

Shipping Cost: 5.38 USD