A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
by Twain, Mark (Samuel L. Clemens)
- Used
- Fine
- first
- Condition
- Fine
- Seller
-
Pasadena, California, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Charles L. Webster & Company, 1889. First edition. Fine. First state with the two main issue points: "The S King" on p. 59 and no damage to type on p. 72. This copy with floral end-papers (others with geometric no priority assigned). A lovely, Fine copy overall, with clean boards and bright gilt, without repair or restoration. Bookplate of Arthur Swann on the verso of the first blank. Housed in a custom quarter-leather clamshell.
One of the great humorist's classic works. "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" follows the adventures of an engineer who's sent backwards in time to the Middle Ages - and the realm of King Arthur. Twain worked on the book in stops and starts in the 1880s, before finishing it in 1889. Strangely enough, along with some contemporary works by H.G. Wells and Edward Bellamy, "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" is considered one of the early works in the science fiction, "time-travel" genre. "...we feel that in this book our arch-humorist imparts more of his personal quality than in anything else he has done. Here he is to the full the humorist, as we know him; but he is very much more.... The delicious satire, the marvellous wit, the wild, free, fantastic humor are the colors of the tapestry, while the texture is a humanity that lives in every fibre. At every moment the scene amuses, but it is all the time an object-lesson in democracy. It makes us glad of our republic and our epoch; but it does not flatter us into a fond content with them" (William Dean Howells in the Atlantic). Fine.
One of the great humorist's classic works. "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" follows the adventures of an engineer who's sent backwards in time to the Middle Ages - and the realm of King Arthur. Twain worked on the book in stops and starts in the 1880s, before finishing it in 1889. Strangely enough, along with some contemporary works by H.G. Wells and Edward Bellamy, "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" is considered one of the early works in the science fiction, "time-travel" genre. "...we feel that in this book our arch-humorist imparts more of his personal quality than in anything else he has done. Here he is to the full the humorist, as we know him; but he is very much more.... The delicious satire, the marvellous wit, the wild, free, fantastic humor are the colors of the tapestry, while the texture is a humanity that lives in every fibre. At every moment the scene amuses, but it is all the time an object-lesson in democracy. It makes us glad of our republic and our epoch; but it does not flatter us into a fond content with them" (William Dean Howells in the Atlantic). Fine.
Synopsis
The original American satiristCracked on the head by a crowbar in nineteenth-century Connecticut, Hank Morgan wakes to find himself in King Arthur's England. Branded by Twain's aptitude for broad comedy and biting social satire, the grim truths of Twain's Camelot-fear, injustice, ignorance-resound as clearly now as when it was written
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Details
- Bookseller
- Whitmore Rare Books (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 6168
- Title
- A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
- Author
- Twain, Mark (Samuel L. Clemens)
- Book Condition
- Used - Fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First edition
- Publisher
- Charles L. Webster & Company
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1889
Terms of Sale
Whitmore Rare Books
15 day return guarantee, with full refund if an item arrives damaged or not matching the description.
About the Seller
Whitmore Rare Books
Biblio member since 2009
Pasadena, California
About Whitmore Rare Books
We operate a retail shop in "Old Town" Pasadena open normal business hours Tuesday through Saturday.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Bookplate
- Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- First State
- used in book collecting to refer to a book from the earliest run of a first edition, generally distinguished by a change in some...
- Verso
- The page bound on the left side of a book, opposite to the recto page.
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...