A first edition set of Mark Twain's complete works, twice signed by the author, has sold as part of an online auction that closed February 28.
 Twain has signed with both his pseudonym and real name, Samuel Langhorne Clemens |
The 35-volume set sold for $3,355, though would have climbed far past this had it been in better condition. Many of the volumes were missing their dust jackets and showed shelf wear, though were considered near fine given their age.
Published in 1922, the set at auction is number 521 in an edition of 1,024. Twain correctly predicted that his complete works would not be published until after his death and therefore, had signed leaves that were tipped-in to the first volume once the set was released.
This first volume has been dented at the top right and has pencil notations to the front free endpaper, as well as a tiny stain to the tipped-in leaf. The author has signed as his pseudonym, Mark Twain, as well as his real name, SL Clemens, making this a highly desirable lot for autograph collectors.
As one of the greatest American writers, Mark Twain's memorabilia is always met with strong results when it appears at auction. In 2010, a previously unpublished manuscript entitled A Family Sketch set the auction record for any Mark Twain work at $242,500.
Paul Fraser Collectibles has a fantastic example of Mark Twain's autograph, which is accompanied by an inscription to a Mrs Hugh Gordon Miller that was written during the Jamestown Exposition of 1907. A fantastic piece of great historical value, Twain has written on a pamphlet from Robert Fulton's Clermont, the first steamboat to make a voyage of any significant distance.
