1890 MARK TWAIN CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR’S COURT Restored VG

Description: A CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR’S COURT Written by Mark Twain and published by Charles L. Webster & Company, New York. Copyright 1889, this book was printed in 1890. It is a first American edition, but later printing. It was first published in England by Chatto & Windus under the title A Yankee at the Court of King Arthur in December 1889. The first American printing is dated 1889 and has a small decorative “S” mark between the “The” and “King” in King Arthur’s illustration. The book’s illustrations, by Dan Beard, are fantastic and loaded with topical references of the time. The illustrator pictured Tennyson as the wicked Merlin; Queen Victoria as a troublesome “old sow,” ancestor of Miss Piggy; the queen’s oldest son (the future Edward VII) and Kaiser Wilhelm II as “chuckleheads.” The Slave Driver, a lord of the lash herding his human property to auction, is unmistakably the hated American financier and speculator Jay Gould. hr> Twain first conceived of the idea behind A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court in December 1884 and worked on it between 1885 and 1889. Writer and critic William Dean Howells called it Twain's best work and "an object-lesson in democracy”. While the book pokes fun at contemporary society, the main thrust is a satire of romanticized ideas of chivalry, and of the idealization of the Middle Ages common in the novels of Sir Walter Scott and other 19th century literature. I feel Connecticut Yankee is one of Twain’s best and most interesting works of fiction. In many ways, it is his most disturbing work. He satirizes both sixth-century England and modern (1889) America, attacking the political, economic, religious and social institutions of both ages and places. It is also an early work of science fiction, with the main character, Hank Morgan, traveling back in time. A Tom Sawyerish character addicted to spectacle, extravaganza, and “effects,” Morgan launches what he hopes will be a peaceful revolution to transform King Arthur’s agrarian, feudal, slaveholding realm into an industrialized modern democracy. He unseats the wizard Merlin, portrayed here as a wicked old fraud, and along with the title of Sir Boss assumes an authority over the kingdom second only to Arthur’s. The Arthurian legend does not end well. Twain’s Utopian version does not end well for anyone either. DESCRIPTION: 296 pages 8 3/4 x 7 inches first edition, later printing hardcover CONDITION: This book is in very good condition with some restoration. Authentic and archival materials have been used throughout--non acidic glues and pastes, nonacidic Japanese papers for reinforcing, etc. The book has been rebound and recased into its original cover. The cloth cover is is lightly soiled with some wear at the corners and edges. There is a long vertical black mark on the rear board, but otherwise the cloth is pretty clean. All of the gilt is original. The spine ends have been repaired with original cloth and the corners of the boards have been strengthened and repaired where necessary. The original endcaps have been retained. The textblock has been rebound into the cover using new cloth spine reinforcing (instead of the original cheap mesh mull), as well as cloth hinges (invisible under the paper overlay). The original endpapers have been retained with the hinges reinforced with similar colored and printed paper. Although toned with acid, especially at the edges, pages are otherwise clean with little foxing to speak of, no major marks or tears, no odor. It is difficult to find this book in better condition or to find one that looks as attractive on the shelf! The book will come with a fitted, clear mylar cover. BECAUSE MEDIA RATE SHIPPING IS FREE ON THE BOOKS I SELL, COMBINE THIS WITH OTHER ITEMS FROM MY EBAY STORE. I AM AN EXPERIENCED EBAY SELLER (23+ YEARS) AND SHIPPER WITH 100% (always!--since 1997!) FEEDBACK RATING. ALL ITEMS ARE CAREFULLY AND SECURELY PACKED TO REDUCE OR ELIMINATE DANGER OF CRUSHING AND OR WATER/MOISTURE DAMAGE. ALL BOOKS ARE SHIPPED IN STURDY BOXES WITH TRACKING AND DELIVERY CONFIRMATION INCLUDED. I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE ALL OF THE BOOKS, AUTOGRAPHS AND SIGNATURES ON BOOKS I SELL.

Price: 249.99 USD

Location: Salt Lake City, Utah

End Time: 2024-10-30T19:13:32.000Z

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