Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Price: US$27.60 + shipping
Condition: Fair
Description: Hartford, 1874; faded black cloth covered boards; heavy edge and corner wear with board exposed; back strip missing and replaced with tape; white tape with title on spine; 8vo, 7 3/4" to 9 3/4" tall; hinges reinforced with cloth tape; Previous owner's name on free front end paper; tide mark at bottom corners; interior lightly foxed; Interior is clean and unmarked; 574 pages.
Seller: A Squared Books (Don Dewhirst), South Lyon, MI, U.S.A.
Price: US$74.75 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: Author's portrait frontis; "Profusely Illustrated by Thomas Nast and Other Artists.", 9 x 5.5", old calf, 617pp, covers very worn, spine cover gone, hinges broken and barely holding, two front blanks detached (but present), ink stamp and ink names of former owners (including Detroit News Editorial Cartoonist Draper Hill), pp finger soiled; a rather delicate book. Ads at the back for Mark Twain's THE GILDED AGE, etc.
Seller: John K King Used & Rare Books, Detroit, MI, U.S.A.
Price: US$75.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" Tall (tall). Spine perished, with wear to edges; slight rubbing and browning to covers (leather; chiefly to edges); slight starting to inner hinges (particularly at front), with 1 blank preliminary leaf detached (but present); previous owner's ink signature and date (with signature inked over) on front free endpaper; slight internal browning and/or foxing (chiefly to edges and endpapers). 574, [6] pages + plates. Mixed state of BAL #3357, with most of the later printing's issue points; state '1'/'B' of title page. Notable for the state of the folding plate (between pages 246-47; only slightly browned). Bound in full brown calf, light brown endpapers, all edges trimmed and flecked brown. Still a fairly tight copy of the leather-bound subscription edition.213 Engraved Illustrations (including plates).
Seller: Arundel Books, Seattle, WA, U.S.A.
Price: US$81.50 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: Early printing of BAL 3357. Only one imprint on title page. Includes fold-out with several Japanese tissue repairs on reverse. Rebacked with original backstrip laid down, boards rubbed. 1874 Hard Cover. xvi, [17]-574, [2] pp. 8vo. First published in 1873, The Gilded Age is both a biting satire and a revealing portrait of post-Civil War America -- an age of corruption when crooked land speculators, ruthless bankers, and dishonest politicians voraciously took advantage of the nation's peacetime optimism. With his characteristic wit and perception, Mark Twain and his collaborator, Charles Dudley Warner, attack the greed, lust, and naivete of their own time in a work which endures as a valuable social document and one of America's most important satirical novels.
Seller: Yesterday's Muse, ABAA, ILAB, IOBA, Webster, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$124.99 + shipping
Description: Good - the front hinge is gone, worn leather & cloth binding, Foxing, 4 pp of ads at rear, fold-out map on p. 247. Early edition. Binding is Hardbound.
Seller: Penn and Ink Used and Rare Books, Vancouver, WA, U.S.A.
Twain, Mark. The Gilded Age: A Tale of To-Day. American Publishing Co., 1874.
Price: US$140.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: Also by Charles Dudley Warner. Fully illustrated by numerous folk. Fold-0ut between pages 246-7. Large, heavy book. Brownish cloth, gilt at center front almost bright, spine too, two short but deep tears at spine top left and right and spine bottom right edge, very light wear to front tips.Very slight wear to inner front hinge, making front cover a little loose. Good+.
Seller: Callaghan Books South, New Port Richey, FL, U.S.A.
Twain, Mark. The Gilded Age: a Tale of Today. American Publishing Co., Hartford, 1874.
Price: US$149.99 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: Full leather. First edition, 2nd issue. Title page 1874, CP 1873. "Sold by Subscription only." Outer and inner front hinge cracked. About 2 inches of spine head detached, laid in. Leather edges rubbed. Stains to ffep; few minor stains to pages and minimal creasing. The foldout adjacent to page 246 is present. Endpages are pink. Ads not present, artist White listed on title page, page 403 illustration present. ; 8vo 8" - 9" tall
Seller: curtis paul books, inc., Northridge, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$150.00 + shipping
Description: First edition. "Sold by subscription only on title page". 213 illustrations with some full page plates. Mixed issue of the 9 major points. Point 1: Ads at back with "Everybody's Friend" undescribed - state A; Point 2: Artist White listed on title page - state A; Point 3: page vii - "Eschol" Sellers under Chapter 5 - state A; Point 4: page xvi - final illustrations numbered 212 - state B; Point 5: Page 246 - no comma follows "Hallelujah" on line 5 from bottom - state A; Point 6: no period after "Dr. Jackson" line 18 - state B; Point 7: on page 351 last line is not "would kill me." - state B; Point 8: Page 353 lines 1 & 2 "She looked down into his face." is absent - state B; Point 9: page 403 has an illustration with date of 1873 on copyright page and 1874 on title page - state B. xvi + 17- 574 pages + 2 page appendix + 2 pages of ads at back plus frontispiece. 8vo 9" tall. Black cloth - missing front board and cloth of spine. Back board is deeply blindstamped black cloth. Folding map of Salt Kick Branch of the Pacific Railroad missing. Nice clean text. Should be rebound to make a nice copy.
Seller: Cultural Connection, Cape Coral, FL, U.S.A.
Mark Twain. THE GILDED AGE.. Hartford, American Publishing Co., 1874.
Price: US$150.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: Hartford, American Publishing Co., 1874. 1st edition. 8vo. xvi,574pp. Gilt decorated black cloth. No illustrations on p. 403, 1874 on title-page, lacks 4 pages of ads. Boards soiled and worn, rear inner hinge split.
Seller: Tom Davies Rare Books, Albuquerque, NM, U.S.A.
Price: US$200.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Hartford: American Publishing Company, 1874. Twain's satirical first novel, written in collaboration with his friend Charles Warner (1829-1900), a book whose title and theme remain relevant today. This is a Very Good copy of the First Edition, in a mixed state. Points that are either present or lacking include: list of illustrators on title page includes "White" with Lockwood electrotyper on verso but the date of publication is 1874; the name "Eschol Sellers" (changed in later editions) remains on p. vii; there is no "Halleluyah" on p.246; Dr. Jackson on p. 280 is accompanied by a period; and p. 403 has no illustration. The fold-out map at p. 246 is present. The binding is full leather with four bands and is a bit dry and flakey; the spine label (black with gilt lettering) is rubbed but still readable. The text is clean and bright; foxing is minimal; most of the pages, however, are browned at their edges. Withal, a decent copy of this wonderful and important book. Quercus would suggest re-backing the spine to return it to full glory. First Edition. Full-Leather. Very Good/No Jacket. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.
Seller: Quercus Rare Books, Chico, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$250.00 + shipping
Description: VG book. 8vo, xvi,(17-574,(2)pp. Many in text illus & full page plates. Newly rebound in brown leather w orig spine labels. According to BAL "AGE" just came on the market Christmas day, 1873. Firsts Magazine, vol 8 # 7/8 says it came on the market Dec 11, '73 and 12,000 copies sold that year. BAL & Firsts Magazine both state the very first printings had "Eschol" on pages vii, 27, 247 and 355,as does this copy. Eschol was quickly changed to Beriah. "Firsts" believes this corection nwas done in the 2nd printing. Very early copies also have the line repeats on pages 351, 2 & 3. This copy DOES NOT have these repeats. But it has all the other BAL 1st state points. BAL also says the genuine tp also includes "White" as one of the illustrators and "Wm H Lockwood" is on the verso, as does this copy. A variant tp contained neither White nor Lockwood. Not sure if these tp & cp points for the 1873 edition apply also to the 1874 edition. This copy is a very early printing. Fold out "SALT LICK" has been folded wrong but there are no tears. Tight, no loose pages, very nice inside. Just a few soiled or foxed spots. Labels are gilt lettered black leather so originally bound in sheep. Twain's indictment of the Robber Baron era, and the present!!!!! VG book. Very early. "Eschol" & most other BAL 1st state points.
Seller: Quiet Friends IOBA, Lyndonville, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$250.00 + shipping
Condition: As New
Description: This hardcover book is square and tight. The boards and spine have no wear with bright and nearly pristine lettering. The points are worn through. The pages and endpages are clean, with no markings or folds. Not ex-lib. No remainder mark. This is an early printing with a mix of the points of interest. The folding plate is present and attached (with a neatly taped tear). This copy has been neatly rebacked with the original spine retained. The boards, of course, are original. This is a beautiful, clean and tight copy in the original format. This is the only book written by Mark Twain with collaboration and gave the name to the period known as The Gilded Age.
Seller: Next Chapter Books SC, LLC, Lexington, SC, U.S.A.
Price: US$250.00 + shipping
Description: 574 [2] [4, ads] pp. Fully Illustrated from New Designs. 8vo, publisher's half brown morocco First edition; but with the 1874 date on the title page; mixed state. BAL 3357; mixed state. Some light scuffing to the binding; tight and sound. Interesting pencil notes and ownership signature of a Subscriber on flyleaf, 1874: "H.S.P. subscribed for this book because he knew Innocents Abroad was so humorous & this was given out by the agents as being equally funny. It gave him profound disappointment and he gave it up as a bad job."
Seller: Jeffrey H. Marks, Rare Books, ABAA, Rochester, NY, U.S.A.
Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner. The Gilded Age. American Publishing Company, 1874.
Price: US$320.00 + shipping
Condition: Fair
Description: WEar to edges, splits to spine to spine, appears to be first state, with White on Title Page and W. H. Lockwood on verso, map of the Saltlick Branch of the Pacific Railway present.likely a later issue Language: eng Language: eng 0.0 Language: eng Language: eng Language: eng Language: eng
Seller: Ian Thompson, Milton, ON, Canada
Price: US$350.00 + shipping
Description: A solid copy bound in the publisher's original quarter leather with leather tips. With gilt lettering on the spine. A serviceable reading copy or place-holding copy until the rare first edition comes along. With an owner's discrete blindstamp at the top of the title page. While the leather spine is attractive, the brown cloth-covered boards are rather thin, faded and leeched out. And are good only. With a name in ink on the second free endpaper. With handsomely marbled endpapers and marbling to all the edges. Fully illustrated with new designes by Hoppin, Stevens, Williams, White, etc. A pleasant copy. The first major American novel to satirize the political milieu of Washington, D.C. and the wild speculation schemes that exploded across the nation in the years that followed the Civil War, The Gilded Age gave this remarkable era its name. Twain and good friend and neighbor Charles Warner borrowed the term from William Shakespeare's King John (1595): "To gild refined gold, to paint the lily. is wasteful and ridiculous excess." Another interpretation of the title, of course, is the contrast between an ideal "Golden Age" and a less worthy "Gilded Age", as gilding is only a thin layer of gold over baser metal, so the title now takes on a pejorative meaning as to the novel's time, events and people. Although more than a century has passed since its publication, the novel's satirical observations of political and social life in Washington, D.C. are still pertinent and the work has appeared in more than 100 editions since its original publication. BAL 3359. (Raptis) Later printing with 1874 title page and 1873 copyright date.
Seller: Brainerd Phillipson Rare Books, Holliston, MA, U.S.A.
Mark Twain. The Gilded Age-A Tale of To-day. American Publishing, 1874.
Price: US$399.99 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: First published in 1873, The Gilded Age is both a biting satire and a revealing portrait of post-Civil War America-an age of corruption when crooked land speculators, ruthless bankers, and dishonest politicians voraciously took advantage of the nation's peacetime optimism. With his characteristic wit and perception, Mark Twain and his collaborator, Charles Dudley Warner, attack the greed, lust, and naivete of their own time in a work which endures as a valuable social document and one of America's most important satirical novels. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. First Edition, Rebound. This is the first edition. Copies dated 1873 and 1874 were issued simultaneously a few days before Christmas 1873. The advance copies were dated 1874. Rebound July 1959. Photographs available upon request
Seller: Bergen Book Studio, Hillsdale, NJ, U.S.A.
Mark Twain. THE GILDED AGE : A Tale of Today. American Publishing Company, Connecticut, 1874.
Price: US$474.95 + shipping
Description: Very Good in boards. Owner name on FEP. Rear hinge cracked. Rubbing along panel edges. Light chipping at spine crown/heel. Illustrations by Hoppin, Stephens, Williams, White, etc.
Seller: Rare Book Cellar, Pomona, NY, U.S.A.
Mark Twain. THE GILDED AGE : A Tale of Today. American Publishing Company, New York, 1874.
Price: US$499.95 + shipping
Description: Very Good in boards. Small bookplate, printed stamp on front pastedown. Both hinges previously repaired. Strip of tape on contents page.
Seller: Rare Book Cellar, Pomona, NY, U.S.A.
Mark Twain. The Gilded Age. American Publishing Company, 1874.
Price: US$695.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: Fine Copy In Gorgeous Brown 3/4 Leather. Gilt Spine Without Wear. Rare In This Condition. Gorgeous Copy of This Twain Classic
Seller: Jeff Bergman Books ABAA, ILAB, Flemington, NJ, U.S.A.
Price: US$700.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: A handsome, unrestored second edition, published in 1874. About Fine condition with only minute rubbing of board and edges; black cloth with peach endpapers, edges sprinkled brown; Twain's first novel which gave an entire era its name, though fictional, is a critical examination of politics and corruption in the United States during the nineteenth century; 8vo; xvi, 17-574 pages
Seller: Books Tell You Why - ABAA/ILAB, Summerville, SC, U.S.A.
Price: US$750.00 + shipping
Description: Original gilt-decorated black cloth. Mark Twain's first novel, its title giving name to the peculiarly American era it describes. Illustrated with plates and engravings. BAL 3357. Issue without ads at rear. Though the title page is dated 1874, it otherwise matches with all of BAL's first issue points but for two: pages 352 and 353. This copy also with the first issue of page vii (Eschol Sellers), page 246, and page 280; other points are later issue. Both hinges cracked but tight, the front reinforced internally with binder's tape. Library bookplate on the front pastedown with gift label below and small ink stamp of donor on front endpaper; unobtrusive blindstamp on front blanks, title page and several pages following; contents very clean. Binding is tight and but for very minor fraying at the spine tips and a small section of the spine discolored, is in very nice condition. About Fine
Seller: Charles Agvent, est. 1987, ABAA, ILAB, Fleetwood, PA, U.S.A.
Price: US$65000.00 + shipping
Description: First English edition of the rarest of Mark Twain's works: the only novel he wrote with a collaborator and the book that gave the era its name in history. Octavo, three volumes, original publishers green cloth, gilt titles to the spine, illustrated. The only multi-volume work Clemens produced, except for the two-volume Tramp Abroad (London, 1880), the first English edition of The Gilded Age is the rarest of Mark Twain's major works and the most difficult to obtain. Its rarity is due largely to its format, three volume sets were quite expensive and were produced almost solely for circulating libraries during the Reconstruction era, and so, the books were vigorously read by many readers, generally rebound, and most were pulped in paper drives during the Second World War. In 1873, Samuel Clemens had written only four other major books - The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, The Innocents Abroad, Mark Twain's (Burlesque) Autobiography, and Roughing It. A relatively unknown American author in London at the time, the English edition would have necessarily been small, no more than a few hundred. From the library of noted collector Frederic R. Kirkland. Kirkland formed a well-known collection of Americana and American and British literature, much of which was sold in 1962. In very good condition. Housed in a custom half morocco folding chemise slipcase. Exceptionally rare, with one other copy traced in auction records and only the Yale set listed in the Bibliography of American Literature. The first major American novel to satirize the political milieu of Washington, D.C. and the wild speculation schemes that exploded across the nation in the years that followed the Civil War, The Gilded Age gave this remarkable era its name. Twain and good friend and neighbor Charles Warner borrowed the term from William Shakespeare's King John (1595): "To gild refined gold, to paint the lily. is wasteful and ridiculous excess." Another interpretation of the title, of course, is the contrast between an ideal "Golden Age" and a less worthy "Gilded Age", as gilding is only a thin layer of gold over baser metal, so the title now takes on a pejorative meaning as to the novel's time, events and people. Although more than a century has passed since its publication, the novel's satirical observations of political and social life in Washington, D.C. are still pertinent and the work has appeared in more than 100 editions since its original publication. BAL 3359.
Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.