CLEMENS, Samuel Langhorne: (Mark Twain). Personal recollections of Joan of Arc . . . (1896 - FIRST EDITION FIRST STATE - MARK TWAIN'S COPY)

AUTHOR: CLEMENS, Samuel Langhorne: ( Mark Twain )

TITLE: Personal recollections of Joan of Arc . . .

PUBLISHER: New York: Harper & Brothers, 1896.

DESCRIPTION: FIRST EDITION FIRST STATE MARK TWAIN'S COPY. 1 vol., illustrated, original gilt stamped red cloth, bookplate to front pastedown "From The Library of Samuel L. Clemens... Sold By his daughter Clara Clemens Samossoud. Los Angeles: April 10-14 1951", inner and outer hinges fine, internally clean and bright, shelf label removed from foot of spine.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: MARK TWAIN’S COPY OF HIS OWN FAVORITE BOOK; bequeathed to his daughter Clara, who later played the title-role - that is, she portrayed Joan of Arc on stage - in a play adapted from this very book.

PROVENANCE: 

(1) S. L. CLEMENS, as above; by descent to his daughter

(2) CLARA CLEMENS Gabrilowitsch afterwards Samossoud (1874–1962), with her shelfmark “Bj | LS37” on the upper pastedown; her sale Los Angeles 10–14 April 1951, uncatalogued, to

(3) JACOB ZEITLIN (1902–1987), of Los Angeles, bookseller, with his manuscript purchase-note “bot 4/12/51 JZeitlin” on the upper free endpaper.

(4) ARTHUR J. KOBACKER (1924–2007), of Columbus (Ohio), merchant, book and stamp collector (Christie’s 1991); given to the

(5) College of Steubenville (now Franciscan University of Steubenville) 1966, accession 49526, “Koback. DC 103 C62”, cataloguer’s stamp “JW [Jack Wu] MAY 1967” on page [v], kc; released 1967/8 and returned to

(6) Arthur Kobacker as above; thence by descent, sold March 2022. - Kobacker (d. 2007) had donated this book and many others to the College of Steubenville in 1966; the College promptly mutilated them; Kobacker promptly took them back and kept them; so now at least one of Kobacker’s children is apparently selling them.