Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Association copy)

New York: Charles L. Webster & Company, 1885. First edition. Very Good. Presentation copy, inscribed by the publishers to Daniel Whitford, Twain's lawyer: "To Daniel Whitford, with regards of the publisher, Chas. L. Webster. New York, February 21st, 1885." Daniel Whitford, attorney for New York firm Alexander & Green, acted for Webster & Company and was also retained by Twain several times. He acted for Twain in the highly publicized lawsuit over the dramatization of the Prince and the Pauper by Abby Sage Richardson. In 1890, Twain and the producer, Daniel Frohman, were sued by Edward H. House, who claimed that Richardson's adaptation was (truncated) plagiarized from House's dramatization of the novel, written for Twain years before. Frohman paid House from Twain's royalties to prevent the closure of the play; in turn, Twain sued Frohman for his royalties (amounting to five or six thousand dollars) in 1894.

A first printing copy according to MacDonnell with "Huck Decided" on p. 9, "Him and Another Man" listed as being on page 88 in the list of illustrations, and "with the was" on p. 57. With the exception of those three points, the remaining states of various leaves do not indicate a later printing. This copy contains the portrait frontispiece with "Heliotype Printing Company," but tablecloth not visible (BAL state 2); and p. 283 conjugate with a definitely curved fly (BAL state 1), only found in the leather-bound copies. A small chip at the crown and front outer joint just starting. Some marginal dampstaining and light to moderate foxing (or soiling) throughout, but a Very Good copy overall.

Scarce in the publisher's morocco and with the first state of Uncle Silas' trousers. Of the 30,000 first printing copies, only approximately 500-600 were bound in the publisher's half-morocco binding.

Recounting the adventures of Huckleberry Finn as he flees his own abusive father and aids Jim in his escape from slavery, Twain's novel has been praised for its "distinctly American voice," putting at its center two common people who find an uncommon friendship. "Today perhaps the novel’s greatest significance lies in its conception of childhood, as a time of risk, discovery, and adventure. Huck is no innocent: He lies, steals, smokes, swears, and skips school. He accepts no authority, not from his father or the Widow Douglas or anyone else. And it is the twin images of a perilous, harrowing odyssey of adventure and perfect freedom from all restraints that so many readers find entrancing" (Mintz). A metaphor for a young and rebellious nation, as well as its individualist inhabitants, Huckleberry Finn defies genre by being simultaneously an adventure story, a road novel, a coming of age tale, an expression of nostalgia for the expansive natural spaces lost to industrialization, and an exploration of race and class. Listed on the American Scholar 100 Best American Novels and one of the 100 Best Novels Written in English. Very Good. (Inventory #: 6779)