Mark Twain - Roughing It [first edition] - 1872

Author: Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens, 1835–1910)
Title: Roughing It
Publisher: American Publishing Company
Place of publication: Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Year: 1872
Language: English
Edition: Illustrated, bound in plain brown leather

Description
A special copy of Roughing It, one of the well-known works by the American writer Mark Twain, originally published in 1872 by the American Publishing Company in Hartford, Connecticut.

This autobiographically inspired travel narrative describes Twain’s adventures in the American West in the 1860s. With his characteristic humor and keen observations, it sketches a vivid picture of frontier life, the mining districts, stagecoach journeys, and the development of the American West in the nineteenth century.

The book is provided with two illustrations at the beginning of the work, including the portrait of Mark Twain, and numerous additional illustrations scattered throughout the text.

Bibliographic details
The copy bears the year 1872 and the imprint of the American Publishing Company in Hartford. In addition, various textual features are present that are associated with the first printing variant of this edition, including the specific readings on pages 156, 242, and 330.

These features support the identification of the first American edition from 1872.

Binding and condition
The book is bound in a plain brown leather cover. This binding does not appear to be the original publisher’s binding and is therefore described as likely later attached. The printed text and illustrations are present.

An interesting historical copy for collectors of Mark Twain, American literature, and nineteenth-century travel narratives.