ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN

New York: Charles Webster, 1885. First edition. Very good plus.. First printing, in the most uncommon form: bound in the publisher's full sheep. Twain often had ambitious plans for the publication of his books, as well as the ability to execute them through his own publishing firm, Charles L. Webster and Company, run by his nephew-in-law. Anticipating brisk Christmas-season sales, they planned four bindings for this informal sequel to TOM SAWYER: one in green pictorial cloth (the most common); one in blue pictorial cloth (to match TOM SAWYER); and two deluxe bindings: half morocco (goatskin) and sheep. Of the four bindings, the fewest copies were bound in sheep, estimated at around 2500 copies – though "they rarely survive in numbers proportional to the number that were originally bound" (Mac Donnell). The sheep copies were also among the earliest bound: most of the presentation copies from Twain are found in sheep. Because sheepskin notoriously takes wear more easily than other binding leathers like goat and calf, it is exceptionally difficult to find nice copies. 8.5'' x 6.5''. Original full sheep, leather labels on spine in black and red. Illustrated by E.W. Kemble with 174 black and white drawings. Page [9] with "Huck Decided"; page 13 lists "Him and another man" as on page 88; page 57 prints "with the was" (ref. Mac Donnell). 366 pages. Housed in custom half goatskin box. Hinges professionally repaired, some restoration to leather, scattered foxing, binding rubbed but sound. (Inventory #: 32499)