THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER.
Hartford [etc.]: The American Publishing Company, 1876. 4 pp ads dated 1 Dec 1876. Original blue cloth decorated in black and gilt, all page edges gilt.
First American Edition, later state -- a combination of the two printings Blanck identifies as "2c" and "3" (all of these are dated 1876). It has the frontispiece on the verso of the half-title, rather than on a separate adjacent leaf (= later than first printing); it is printed on a combination of both wove and laid paper (= printing 2c); and the only preliminary page numbered is the final one xvi (= third printing, except that that printing is all on laid paper). In our experience, these second and third states are the variants of TOM SAWYER usually encountered -- though TOM has become somewhat uncommon in any state (much less common than HUCKLEBERRY FINN, for example).
This copy has gilding on all the page edges -- a feature for which initial buyers (i.e. subscribers) paid extra. This is a very good, bright copy -- moderate wear at the spine ends, minor soil including a faint darkened area near the top of the front cover, front endpaper cracked. One of the great classics of American literature, as enjoyable today as it was 150 years ago: obviously the first state is preferable, but even in this condition, a gilt-edged copy would have a price well over $15,000. Blanck 3369; McBride pp 40-42; a Johnson High Spot ("recognized as one of the supreme portrayals of boy character").
Provenance: endpaper signature "Phebe S. Tabor | Bought in Albany". Phebe S. Andrews (1845-1928) in 1863 married Charles Franklin Tabor; he was a lawyer in Buffalo (the family residing in Lancaster), but in 1876-1877 he was a member of the New York State Assembly -- presumably connecting the family to Albany at the time this book became the property of his wife. Item #15717
Price: $2,750.00