1884 – Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain | First British Edition

Mark Twain’s momentous book Huckleberry Finn has been the source of arguments, discussion, and controversy since it first appeared in 1885. It has been reprinted countless times and is still considered to be one of the most popular American novels, if not the most popular. This first English edition, is the second impression of the work. This copy has Sequence B ‘saddle-stitched’ with wire staples rather than sewn. The British printing preceded the more famous American edition by four months.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: (Tom Sawyer’s Comrade)
• Author(s): Mark Twain
• Publisher: London: Chatto & Windus
• Edition: First edition, second impression.
  • “Sequence B” printing—distinguished by its saddle-stitched wire staples
  • “Spottiswoode” imprint on the copyright page
  • (BAL does not distinguish priority of the two variants).
• Binding: Hardcover
• Format: (12mo), single volume
• Size:  7.5 in x 5.5 in (19 cm x 13.5 cm)
• Collation: 438pp, [32]
• Illustrations: Illustrated throughout
• Contents Include:
  • The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (complete text)
  • Chatto and Windus index
• Provenance: handwritten – Nicholas Greenwell
• Reference(s): BAL 3414

Condition:

Very Good. Binding remains tight and secure, with visible rubbing along the spine and corner tips. Gilt titling on the spine is present and legible.

Why Collect This?

• First British edition, published prior to the U.S. printing
• Retains original illustrated cloth binding with gilt titling
• Important publication history context for Twain collectors

Item Number: #29645