The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain - 1877

London: Chatto and Windus, 1877. First Thus . Decorative Cloth. Very Good/No jacket - as issued. 20 x 14 (8" x 5.5"). True Williams. THE NOVEL: This classic relates a small-town boy's pranks and escapades with timeless humor and wisdom. In addition to his everyday stunts (searching for buried treasure, trying to impress the adored Becky Thatcher), Tom experiences a dramatic turn of events when he witnesses a murder, runs away, and returns to attend his own funeral and testify in court. The story is set in the 1840s in the fictional town of St. Petersburg, inspired by Hannibal, Missouri, where Twain lived as a boy. Originally a commercial failure the book ended up being the best selling of any of Twain's works during his lifetime. The novel has elements of humor, satire and social criticism; features that later made Mark Twain one of the most important authors of American literature. Truman W. "True" Williams was an American artist known as the most prolific illustrator to Mark Twain's books and novels and was the first to visually portray such characters as Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. He was also a notorious drunk, which slowed his work and made him unreliable. PUBLISHING DETAILS: First illustrated edition, published by Chatto & Windus of London in 1877. 339 pages, plus 32 page publisher's catalogue. Size: 20 x 14 cms (8" x 5.5"). Weight: 647g (1.4 pounds). CONDITION: I would rate this as very good commensurate with its age. The book has been neatly rebacked, with the original spine laid over (see photo). The covers are sound overall, with a little age-soiling and edge wear (see photo). The binding is tight and secure, having been neatly resewn (the original staples have left some rust marks). The text and copious illustrations are generally clean, bright and free from foxing. 5 illustrations have been lightly tinted but this is not obtrusive (see photos). A previous owner's small name-stamp appears on some prelims and an address is embossed onto the front free endpaper, which has been neatly reinforced. Overall this is a still-handsome first illustrated edition of a classic novel, offered at a competitive price for the collector.