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Mark Twain. Autograph manuscript of Chapter 15 ("Down the River") from A Tramp Abroad, with numerous revisions and deletions...
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Description
Manuscript chapter from A Tramp Abroad: the "Tramp" rafting down the Neckar River
Mark Twain. Autograph manuscript of Chapter 15 ("Down the
River") from A Tramp Abroad, with numerous revisions and deletions
by the author. [c.1879-80].33 pages, 8vo, in purple ink on rectos only. Crimson straight-grained morocco gilt, upper cover gilt-lettered, by Bradstreet's; quarter morocco folding case. Bound with an engraved portrait of the author at front and the printed version of the chapter (removed from a copy of the first edition) at rear.
The "Down the River" chapter is an account of Clemens's and his companion's raft trip down the Neckar River to Heidelberg. Twain describes the riverbank scenery, including young ladies bathing in the shallows, and an encounter with a river steamboat. Passing Hornberg, he retells a medieval legend of Gertrude, who lived as a recluse in a cave near Hornberg, awaiting her lover's return from the Crusades. The Chapter was originally numbered "25" by Twain; this was altered to "17" by Twain in a different ink, to "14" in pencil and finally, in ink, to "15." On the verso of the last leaf, Twain has noted "End of 15." The original pagination has been altered from 666-698 to 435-467. Deletions include three sentences on page 439 (regarding the infrequent sweeping of bedrooms in Germany), one sentence on page 442 (in a passage concerning the sighting of several young maidens bathing in the nude), a long passage on page 452 (comments on a German not wearing spectacles), and several words each on pages 448, 454, 459, 460, 461, and 466. A Tramp Abroad was first published in Hartford in 1880.
Condition: Last leaf torn and repaired, not affecting text; first and last leaves a little wrinkled; some finger-soiling and occasional ink smears or minor stains.
Provenance: William Harris Arnold (bookplate). From the William A. Strutz Library.
View all of [The William A. Strutz Library ]
Auction Info
2024 June 27 Important English and American Literature: The William A. Strutz Library, Part I, Rare Books Signature® Auction #6295 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
June, 2024
27th
Thursday
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