Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Price: US$21.30 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: 30 pages, 3 plates, illustrated. Note; this is an original article separated from the volume, not a reprint or copy. THERE IS MORE THAN ONE PICTURE OF THIS ITEM TO SHOW YOU MORE DETAILS. Size: 18 x 25 cms. Quantity Available: 1. Category: Harper's Monthly Magazine; Inventory No: 513896. Cosmo Books : 26 years selling on ABE; 26 years of taking care of customers on ABE; A seller you can rely on.
Seller: Cosmo Books, Shropshire., United Kingdom
Twain, Mark. A Double Barrelled Detective Story. Harper & Brothers Publishers, New York, 1902.
Price: US$25.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: Dark red cloth boards with gilt lettering and decor, rubbed, scuffed and chipping at spinetips and on fold. Prior owner name in pencil on fep. 2 illustrations are missing. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall
Seller: Top Notch Books, Tolar, TX, U.S.A.
Mark Twain. A Double Barrelled Detective Story. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1902.
Price: US$34.50 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: First edition (April 1902). Good hardcover, no DJ. Red calico-grain (V) cloth over boards; floral gilt front panel with intaglio title; gilt titles on spine; top edge gilt; end paper panels are: AAAB per BAL 3471; laid paper; tissue-guarded frontis; red framed text pages. Clean, lightly scuffed covers and spine; chipping at spine ends; slight rubbing at cover fore corners; tightly bound; red price on front free end paper; pencil owner name on front fly leaf; pencil inscription and drawings on page [1]; damp stain faintly visible at fore corners of some leaves in last quarter of text block; cracked at page 96/97 but all remains tight; all illustrations present (7). 8vo, 177 pp.
Seller: Lee Madden, Book Dealer, Brattleboro, VT, U.S.A.
Twain, Mark. A Double Barrelled detective Story. Harper & Brothers, New York, 1902.
Price: US$40.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: Top edge gilt. GOOD+ previous owner name to third fly leaf, minor staining to top of most planes, some sunning to spine, head of spine bumped, edgewear to spine ends, minor discoloration to bottom of spine and rear cover
Seller: Barrister, Inc., Davie, FL, U.S.A.
Price: US$44.00 + shipping
Condition: Fair
Description: 1st ed. Wear to cover, fray at spine edge. Gutters weakened. 179 pages, plates. Illustrated by Lucius Hitchcock.
Seller: Sequitur Books, Boonsboro, MD, U.S.A.
Price: US$50.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: Hardcover. Book Condition: Good. Jacket Condition: No Jacket. Harper & Brothers, New York, NY 1902. First Edition. 1st Printing. 179 pages. With frontispiece and six plates. Deep red cloth binding, gold decor. Moderate general wear. Binding frayed at top and bottom of spine. Rear hinge torn. Size: 8vo 7.75 - 9.75'' tall. Fiction Antique Fiction Modern::Crime/Mystery/Suspense 6017
Seller: BookScene, Hull, MA, U.S.A.
. Harper's Monthly Magazine; January 1902. Harper & Brothers, New York, 1902.
Price: US$60.00 + shipping
Condition: Fair
Description: Oversize Front cover and spine are damaged, closed tear at head of spine, lower 1/4 missing, sadly the beautiful front cover has been torn and repaired with tape, front edge shows tiny tears and light wear, large chip at lower gutter edge. Rear cover intact but unevenly darkened leaving a mottled effect. Text is clean and bright, no marks, in lovely and sturdy condition. This issue includes Wallace Nutting photograph, Part I of Mark Twain's A Double-barrelled Detective Story, 'Mater Dolorosa. A Winter Song,' a Nora Chesson poem, 'The Music Box,' a short story by Arthur Ruhl, wonderful full-color paintings by Howard Pyle, and much more. Digital photo on request.
Seller: Gyre & Gimble, Holden, ME, U.S.A.
Twain, Mark. A Double Barrelled Detective Story. Harper& Brothers, New York, 1902.
Price: US$70.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Published April 1902. Some fraying to red cloth covered boards at spine ends and outer corners, gold stamped title on front panel and spine not quite pristine, End papers are type A though there is no mention of priority, spine cloth has loosened, page edges are toned, missing illustrated panel on page 34.
Seller: Rio Bound Books, San Marcos, TX, U.S.A.
Price: US$70.00 + shipping
Description: 1st edition ("published April 1902") Very good plus/no dj (red boards; the gilt on the front board is bright, while that on the spine is somewhat dulled)
Seller: Reed's Rare Books, Palm Springs, CA, U.S.A.
Twain, Mark. A Double Barrelled Detective Story. Harper & Brothers, 1902.
Price: US$75.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: 12mo hardcover in red cloth, tight binding, clean unmarked pages, covers may have the faintest of shelfwear, else NFINE. Illustrated. A nice bright copy. ; 12mo 7" - 7½" tall
Seller: Mossback Books, hartland, MI, U.S.A.
Twain, Mark. A Double Barrelled Detective Story. Harper & Brothers, New York, 1902.
Price: US$75.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: 179pp. Red cloth boards, titles on spine and front board in gold. Shelfwear to edges, corners, and spine ends, but binding remains tight, spine straight. Old sticker at lower spine end. Text block clean and unmarked, though top corner of 17 is missing (no text on page is missing). Twain's novella finds Sherlock Holmes in the American west, and includes a moment in the narrative when Twain breaks the fourth wall.
Seller: The Chatham Bookseller, Madison, NJ, U.S.A.
Price: US$93.80 + shipping
Description: Decorated red cloth. BAL 3471: State A of front & rear endpapers, state B of others. With seven illustrations by Lucius Hitchcock. Twain's parody of Sherlock Holmes. Small leather bookplate with offsetting to front endpaper. Horizontal tear across top of spine onto front cover. Old dampstain to lower gutters of many pages. Good
Seller: Charles Agvent, est. 1987, ABAA, ILAB, Fleetwood, PA, U.S.A.
Twain, Mark. A Double Barrelled Detective Story. Harper & Brothers, New York, 1902.
Price: US$96.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: First edition "The Tabard Inn" variant (the bookplated on front fixed endpaper was placed there in all copies, by the publishers, hence the name Tabard Inn. Hardcover, green cloth binding. Octavo. Illustrated with 7 tipped in plates. Front hinge is cracked, title page pulled loose at top, but a very nice copy.
Seller: Illustrated Bookshelf, Flagstaff, AZ, U.S.A.
Mark Twain. A Double Barrelled Detective Story. Harper & Btrothers, New York, 1902.
Price: US$97.50 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Publisher's maroon gilt cloth with title framed in gilt square with floral motif, Twain quote at bottom, gilt frame on cover, gilt top foreedge and tissue interleavings to plates. all plates present. A clean, bright, unmarked copy. Uncommon Twain title.
Seller: Bibliodisia Books, IOBA, MWABA, Chicago, IL, U.S.A.
Twain. Mark. A Double Barrelled Detective Story. Harper & Brothers, New York, 1902.
Price: US$100.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Very good first edition book, no dust jacket. Red cloth-covered boards with stamped gilt decorations, border, and lettering on front panel and spine. Upper external page edges are gilt. Seven full-page illustrations including frontispiece with tissue-guard. 179 numbered text pages; two blank pages each at front (between verso to FFEP and frontispiece) and back (between verso to page 179 and BFEP). All text pages are bordered in red and with margin topic references. Boards have light soil and scuffs. Spine is a bit darkened. Edges and corners at head and tail of board spine are split and fraying. Back corner at head of spine is bumped. Front spine gutter has 2 1/4" split at the upper end. Front panel has a 1/4" by 1/8" loss along the fore-edge across from ".Story." Fore-edge corner tips have tiny rub throughs. Lower front fore-edge corner has small bump, even small bump on the lower back fore-edge corner. Dark green and cream illustrated paste downs. Previous owner's bookplate on front paste down. Previous owner's information on first blank page after FFEP. Internally clean and with snug text block. Please use close-up options for best inspection and in support of condition descriptions. Additional photos available at your request.
Seller: R & G Bliss Books, Excelsior, MN, U.S.A.
TWAIN, Mark. A Double Barrelled Detective Story. Harper & Brothers, New York, 1902.
Price: US$100.00 + shipping
Description: Illustrations by Lucius Hitchcock. Small 8vo. Red cloth with gilt lettering, rules and decoration. 179pp. Top edge gilt. Tissue-guarded frontispiece, 5 (of 6) full-page called-for plates, pictorial endpapers (front and rear endpapers both form A). Good plus. Faint overall edgewear, but rough at head and tail of spine; faint inoffensive glass ring on front board. First edition -- tight, decent, handleable copy with strong giltstamping. Twain borrows Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes to see how he fares in the Wild West. BAL 3471.
Seller: Main Street Fine Books & Mss, ABAA, Galena, IL, U.S.A.
Price: US$108.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Bound in original green buckram binding; new end-sheets; first appearance of this Twain story, illustrated by Lucius Hitchcock (7 drawings); other illustrators include Howard Pyle, Albert Sterner, W.T. Smedley, Peter Newell, Joseph Pennell, etc.; volume also contains 2 other works by Twain "The Californian's Tale" & "The Death-Disk" as well as works by Bret Harte, W.D. Howells, Woodrow Wilson, Maurice Maeterlinck, Ernest C. Peixoto, Octave Thanet, etc.; illustrated in color and black & white; 1010pp.
Seller: Michael J. Toth, Bookseller, ABAA, Springtown, PA, U.S.A.
Twain, Mark. A Double Barrelled Detective Story. Harper & Brothers, New York and London, 1902.
Price: US$145.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: 179 pages, frontispiece and six plates. Pictorial endpapers; top edge gilt. Joints, head, and foot of spine rubbed. Spine sunned and slightly cocked forwards; light soiling to boards. Binding sound; no inscriptions. Colophon has: Published April, 1902. F. Loeser & Co. Brooklyn bookseller's ticket front pastedown.
Seller: The Odd Book (ABAC, ILAB), Wolfville, NS, Canada
Twain, Mark. A DOUBLE BARRELLED DETECTIVE STORY. Harper & Brothers, 1902.
Price: US$150.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: PREVIOIUS OWNER'S CHRISTMAS GIFT INSCRIPTION ON INSIDE FRONT COVER
Seller: Reed Books The Museum of Fond Memories, Birmingham, AL, U.S.A.
Twain, Mark. A Double Barrelled Detective Story.. Harper & Brothers, New York, 1902.
Price: US$150.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Slightly cocked, some darkening to covers else Very Good. The First Edition.
Seller: Gerry Kleier Rare Books, Martinez, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$150.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Hardcover. Includes Twain's "The Death-Disk" in December issue on pages 19 - 26; "A Double-Barrelled Detective Story" in January and February issues on pages 254 - 270 and 429 - 441; and "The Californian's Tale" in the March issue on pages 601 - 604. Also includes Howard Pyle illustrations in color for "North-Folk Legends of the Sea" in January issue. Ex-library with stamps to versos of a few illustrations. Bound in three quarter red leather over black cloth covered boards with gilt title to spine. Heavy chipping to leather on spine and hinges. Tape repair to both hinges. Binding remains secure. Loss to front free endpaper. Browning to edges of a few pages, but clean overall. Pagination: 180 - 848 pages. PER/052319.
Seller: The Kelmscott Bookshop, ABAA, Savage, MD, U.S.A.
Price: US$150.00 + shipping
Description: Octavo, 179 pages. In Good condition. Bound in publisher's red cloth with gilt lettering and decorations. Boards show bumping to corners, rubbing to corners exposing boards, splitting to joints, chipping and fraying to spine edges, mild edge wear and shelf wear, sunning to spine, cocking to spine, and discoloration to rear cover. Textblock has splitting to front interior hinge, previous owner's name on second page, and tearing to rear pastedown. Published April 1902; shelved Room A. A Double Barreled Detective Story is a short story/novelette by Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens), in which Sherlock Holmes finds himself in the American west. [wikipedia]; BAL 3471; 1372316. Special Collections.
Seller: Second Story Books, ABAA, Rockville, MD, U.S.A.
Twain , Mark. A DOUBLE BARRELLED DETECTIVE STORY. Harper & Brothers, New York, 1902.
Price: US$150.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Uncut; Light soiling and wear to boards; Light wear to head and heel of spine; Former owner's book plate front pastedown; BAL3471; Red boards gilt titles; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 179 pages
Seller: First Edition ,too Inc Bookstore, Moran, MI, U.S.A.
Price: US$156.30 + shipping
Description: Decorated red cloth. BAL 3471: State A of the front pastedown and the rear endpaper, State B of others. Illustrations by Lucius Hitchcock. Twain's wonderful satire on the mystery novel, with an appearance by Sherlock Holmes. Small leather bookplate on the front pastedown with offsetting to the endpaper. Small tear to the top of the spine.Old dampstain to lower spine with gutters of some pages affected. Very Good
Seller: Charles Agvent, est. 1987, ABAA, ILAB, Fleetwood, PA, U.S.A.
(Literature) TWAIN, Mark. A Double Barrelled Detective Story. Harper and Brothers, New York, 1902.
Price: US$165.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: 5 1/4 X 8 Inches. 179 PP. First printing with the "Published April, 1902" statement on the copyright page. Original red cloth with elaborate gilt title work to cover and spine. An extremely clean copy overall. Hint of rubbing to spine and top edge.
Seller: Back in Time Rare Books, ABAA, FABA, Jacksonville, FL, U.S.A.
Price: US$169.95 + shipping
Description: Octavo. 179pp., on wove paper. Bound in red cloth lettered and decorated in gilt, spine and top edge gilt, green and white pictorial endpapers (front pastedown state "A", front free endpaper state "B"). rear endpapers are the same except opposite of front. Some wear to corners and spine ends, some soiling to covers, internally clean, no names or plates. A very good copy.
Seller: Alcuin Books, ABAA/ILAB, Scottsdale, AZ, U.S.A.
TWAIN, Mark. A Double Barrelled Detective Story. Harper & Brothers Publishers, NY, 1902.
Price: US$180.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Bound in 3/4 green leather over cloth boards. Five raised bands, stamped in gold, t.e.g., A very acceptable, bright copy of this first edition by Twain. 179 pp. Ref.: BAL 3471. Early binding by Strikeman and Co.
Seller: Michael J. Toth, Bookseller, ABAA, Springtown, PA, U.S.A.
Twain, Mark. A DOUBLE BARRELLED DETECTIVE STORY. Harper & Brothers, New York, 1902.
Price: US$185.00 + shipping
Description: Octavo, 179 pages. In Very Good condition. Bound in publisher's decorated red variant cloth with gilt lettering to spine. Sunning to spine. Fraying and wear to head and tail of spine. Rubbing and light bumping to corners of boards. Light wear to hinges. Mild scuffing. Top edge of textblock gilt, faded. Fore and bottom edges deckled. Staining to endpapers and pastedowns. Gutter visible between first and second free endpapers. Age toning throughout. Previous owner's name stamped on title page and rear pastedown. Shelved in Case 13. BAL 3471. 1376287. Shelved Dupont Bookstore.
Seller: Second Story Books, ABAA, Rockville, MD, U.S.A.
Price: US$200.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1902. First Edition. Octavo. 179 pp. Red cloth stamped in gilt; top edge gilt; endpapers printed in olive with front pastedown in state A and remaining in B, with no priority given. Touch of rubbing to edges of boards and spine mildly sunned. Binding is sound. Stamp "UKA - P.ES" to rear pastedown and interior else unmarked. Near Fine. [BAL 3471].
Seller: Capitol Hill Books, ABAA, Washington, DC, U.S.A.
Twain, Mark. A DOUBLE BARRELLED DETECTIVE STORY. Harper & Brothers, New York, 1902.
Price: US$225.00 + shipping
Description: Octavo, 179 pages. In Very Good condition. Bound in publisher's decorated maroon cloth variant with gilt lettering to spine. Fraying and wear to head and tail of spine. Some rubbing to edges, corners, and hinges. Mild bumping to corners. Light scuffing. Top edge of textblock gilt, faded. Fore and bottom edges deckled. Mild staining to front free endpaper. Light foxing to pastedowns and endpapers. Previous owner's signature on front pastedown, front free endpaper, and title page. Binding loosening slightly at first two gatherings. Age toning throughout. Shelved in Case 13. BAL 3471. 1376289. Shelved Dupont Bookstore.
Seller: Second Story Books, ABAA, Rockville, MD, U.S.A.
Twain, Mark. A Double Barrelled Detective Story. Harper & Brothers, 1902.
Price: US$245.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: Original red cloth with bright gilt titles and design. Stated published April, 1902
Seller: J. Mercurio Books, Maps, & Prints IOBA, Garrison, NY, U.S.A.
Twain, Mark. A Double Barrelled Detective Story. Harper and Brothers 1902, 1902.
Price: US$255.00 + shipping
Description: first edition ed. hardback very good condition in red cloth with a bit of spine fading- There is a pen gift inscription on the second black page; there are a few spots of brown stain on a few pages
Seller: Wonderland Books, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.
Mark Twain. A Double Barrelled Detective Story. Harper & Brothers, 1902.
Price: US$275.00 + shipping
Description: Hardcover, Good. First Edition, Harper & Brothers, 1902. Red cloth boards with gilt decoration and lettering on front cover and spine. Frontpiece, opposite of title page, protected with tissue paper. Top edge gilt with deckled pages. Significant yellowing to pages. Spine is lightly faded. Front cover has minor staining, while back cover has major staining. Previous owner's name inscribed on page opposite front flyleaf, otherwise no interior marking. Bottom of spine is lightly frayed. Some shelfwear to edges of boards. Binding is worn, especially on pages 144 and 145, otherwise binding is solid.
Seller: Copperfield's Used and Rare Books, Petaluma, CA, U.S.A.
Twain, Mark. A Double Barrelled Detective Story. Harper & Brothers, New York & London, 1902.
Price: US$275.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Nice copy, red boards with bright gilt; rubbing to top and bottom of spine but a nice copy attractively illustrated; BAL 3471; front end papers with tallest peak in middle; rear end papers with tallest peak in third panel; has the quote on the cover "We ought never to do wrong when people are looking." Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall
Seller: Cornelius Muhilly Rare Books, Kansas City, MO, U.S.A.
Mark Twain. A Double Barrelled Detective Story. Harper & Brothers, New York & London, 1902.
Price: US$300.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Red ruled cloth boards. Decorative gilt title & quote.Gilt particulars to spine. Light wear to head and tail of spine. Top edge gilt. 7 plates present. Mark to bottom of pages 116-121 not affecting text; otherwise, a nice clean copy without previous owners' names or other markings. 7½" - 8" tall; 179 pages; All shipments through USPS insured Priority Mail.
Seller: William Chrisant & Sons, ABAA, ILAB. IOBA, ABA, Ephemera Society, Fort Lauderdale, FL, U.S.A.
Price: US$324.00 + shipping
Description: Bound in red cloth with the front cover and spine stamped in gilt. This is lightly faded and has minor tears to the head and the heel of the spine.
Seller: James & Mary Laurie, Booksellers A.B.A.A, Minneapolis, MN, U.S.A.
TWAIN, MARK.. A Double Barrelled Detective Story. New York: Harper & Bros, 1902, 1902.
Price: US$350.00 + shipping
Description: First Edition. Two copies; variants printed on laid and on wove paper; according to BAL, of unknown sequence. Both are near fine. All books described as first editions are first printings unless otherwise noted.
Seller: Peter L. Stern & Co., Inc, Newton, MA, U.S.A.
Price: US$385.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: 8vo. [6], 3-179, [5] pp. Bound in red cloth with gilt decorations and lettering on the front board and spine; top edge gilt. Decorative green and beige endpapers and pastedowns. Title page printed in red and black. With a frontispiece and six plates illustrated by Lucius Hitchcock. Each leaf's text outlined in a red border. Without the dustwrapper. Ahearn APG 066a. MacDonnell, "The Primary First Editions of Mark Twain", Firsts July / August 1998, 54. McBride 210. A sharp copy of Twain's parody of Sherlock Holmes, in which an innocent man finds himself in the crosshairs of a wannabe detective. Just a touch of wear to the extremtiies, overall a sharp and clean copy.
Seller: Evening Star Books, ABAA/ILAB, Madison, WI, U.S.A.
Twain, Mark. A Double Barrelled Detective Story. Harper & Brothers, New York, 1902.
Price: US$420.00 + shipping
Description: 179pp. Red cloth stamped in gold on cover and spine, top edge gilt, tissued frontispiece. Front endpapers are state B, rear endpapers state A. Illustrations by Lucius Hitchcock. With the bookplate of noted Ohio journalist and investment banker Claude Meeker, engraved by A. N. MacDonald, on the front pastedown endpaper. Sherlock Holmes investigates a murder involving his nephew Fetlock Jones. Light wear to spine head, two short creases to spine panel. A near fine copy. BAL 3471. In Hubin, 1994, p. 812.; Octavo.
Seller: Parigi Books, Vintage and Rare, Schenectady, NY, U.S.A.
TWAIN, Mark. A Double Barrelled Detective Story. Harper & Brothers, 1902.
Price: US$499.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: 1902 Mark TWAIN 1st ed Double Barrelled Detective Sherlock Holmes RARE How blind and unreasoning and arbitrary are some of the laws of nature - the most of them, in fact! Mark Twain, The Double-Barrelled Detective Mark Twain was one of the most popular and beloved American authors of the 19th-century. His works have become a mainstay in American literature, creating characters such as Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. By the end of 1800s, British author Arthur Conan Doyle created a famous detective character Sherlock Holmes, of whom Twain was quite fond. Twain developed his own parodic version of Holmes in his book A Double Barrelled Detective Story which was first published in 1902. Twain puts Sherlock Holmes in the United States and creates a satirical world for him to discover. Item number: #23071 Price: $499 TWAIN, Mark A Double Barrelled Detective Story New York, London: Harper & Brothers, 1902. First edition. Details: Collation: complete o [4], 179, [1] o 7 plates by Lucius Hitchcock References: BAL 3471 Language: English Binding: Hardcover; secure o Decorative red cloth Size: ~8in X 5.5in (20cm x 14cm) The BAL notes no priority on the various forms of this first edition with both A and B states with endpapers and on wove paper Our Guarantee: Very Fast. Very Safe. Free Shipping Worldwide. Customer satisfaction is our priority! Notify us with 7 days of receiving, and we will offer a full refund without reservation! 23071 Photos available upon request.
Seller: Schilb Antiquarian, Columbia, MO, U.S.A.
Price: US$11875.00 + shipping
Description: Archive of 6 pieces including two AUTOGRAPH LETTERS SIGNED with excellent content, one letter referencing a famous passage of his and the other a poignant unpublished letter pertaining to his wife Olivia who had died the previous month. Both letters by Clemens are on small (3-1/2" x 5" and 3-1/2" x 6") pieces of mourning stationery written to John Francis "Frank" Holme, a newspaper sketch artist who covered the trials of Adolph Luetgert for the CHICAGO DAILY NEWS. Holme was also a writer and printer who founded a publishing endeavor called the Bandar Log Press. Clemens and Holme were friends, and Clemens was among those who contributed financially to the project. The earliest letter from Clemens to Holme is dated 4 January 1902 from Riverdale on the Hudson. Clemens moved his family to Riverdale from Hartford after their beloved daughter Suzy had died there in 1896 while Clemens and his wife were abroad. They never set foot in their Hartford home again. In full: "I rather admire that oesophogus myself, Mr. Holme, especially because it caught-out the Editor of the Magazine & he sent to ask if I had not made a mistake. Very truly yours, Mark Twain." The reference undoubtedly refers to the well-known quote from A DOUBLE BARRELLED DETECTIVE STORY published in HARPER'S MONTHLY in January and February of 1902: ".far in the empty sky a solitary oesophagus slept upon motionless wing." In a letter to the SPRINGFIELD (MA) REPUBLICAN near the time of publication, Clemens stated, "I published a short story lately & it was in that that I put the oesophagus. I will say privately that I expected it to bother some people--in fact, that was the intention--but the harvest has been larger than I was calculating upon. The oesophagus has gathered in the guilty and the innocent alike, whereas I was only fishing for the innocent-- the innocent and confiding." When the story was published in book form later that year, Clemens included some of the letters he received from puzzled readers of the magazine inquiring about the "solitary oesophagus." The later letter by Clemens to Holme, dated 29 July 1904, makes a poignant reference to his wife's recent death: "Dear Mr. Holme: I am exceedingly glad to be a Bandar Log & own stock, and I send my best thanks. The 'stuff' has reached me, & I highly prize it. Immeasurable disaster has befallen me since the La Shelles were under my roof, & this has changed my permanent address. Sincerely yours, S.L. Clemens." At the top Clemens has written, "Permanent address: c/o H. H. Rogers, 26 Broadway New York City." Olivia's death just the month before had hit Clemens hard. The night of her death, Clemens wrote in his notebook, "At a quarter past 9 this evening she that was the life of my life passed to the relief & the peace of death after as months of unjust & unearned suffering. I first saw her near 37 years ago, & now I have looked upon her face for the last time. Oh, so unexpected! I was full of remorse for things done & said in these 34 years of married life that hurt Livy's heart." The H. H. Rogers Clemens refers to is Henry H. Rogers, the Standard Oil magnate who saved Clemens from financial ruin as well as copyright violations and who became his unlikely friend during the writer's darkest hours. Clemens also makes mention of the La Shelles, a reference to playwright Kirke La Shelle who was also Treasurer of the Bandar Log Press. This letter also comes with the envelope addressed by Clemens. Also included in the archive are two copies of the first Bandar Log Press book: HANDSOME CYRIL OR THE MESSENGER BOY WITH THE WARM FEET by George Ade. One is a prospectus, without the color covers and with the text ending at page 14 with the printed notice: "(The continuation of this deeply interesting story will be found in No. 1 of the Strenuous Lads Library. For particulars see next page." That page gives details of the various printings that will be available. The other copy is the finished product, a limited edition copy hand numbered 412 of 674. Holme has written in this copy a note to his sister, "Mrs. Nan Gerstell, Merry Christmas from her brother the printer 1903." The book also comes with a transmittal Bandar Log Press envelope hand addressed by Holme. The books are very scarce, especially the prospectus. The Bandar Log Press envelope is quite fragile with chipping along the edges. The remaining material is Near Fine
Seller: Charles Agvent, est. 1987, ABAA, ILAB, Fleetwood, PA, U.S.A.