The Autobiography of Mark Twain. First Editions, First and Second Printings. University of California Press. Oakland, 2010-2015.

Mark Twain, often considered the Father of American Literature, led a full and enigmatic life. He was an author of novels and travelogues, but also a riverboat captain, a prospector, a journalist, a public speaker, an inventor, and a publisher. He traveled the world several times over. He adored his daughters and wife. He was friends with many of the most notable people of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. All of these details and more are covered in his sprawling autobiography. Published in three behemoth volumes, it covers every decade of his life in disjointed, rambling sections. The work was mostly dictated and compiled in the final years of Twain’s life. As per his wishes, it was not published in its entirety until 100 years after his death. From 2010 to 2015, the editors and the Bancroft Library then published installments containing all the materials Twain left in his typescripts and manuscripts. It is an incredible work, full of Twain’s signature humor and charm. For any Twain collector, his autobiography is an essential text.

This set of first edition, first and second printings is in near-fine condition. Volumes I and III are first printings. Volume II is a second printing. In the original quarter cloth, near-fine with only very minor bumping to bottom edges. Text blocks near-fine, only minor soiling to bottom edges. In the original dust jackets, fine.

A fine set of The Autobiography of Mark Twain.