LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 October Rare Books & Manuscripts #675  / 

30839

William R. Gillis: Signed Memories of Mark Twain

Currency:USD Category:Books / Antiquarian & Collectible Start Price:90.00 USD Estimated At:100.00 - 200.00 USD
William R. Gillis: Signed Memories of Mark Twain
<B> Mark Twain William R. Gillis: Signed First Edition of <I>Memories of Mark Twain and Steve Gillis</B></I>.</B></I> (Sonora, California: The Banner, 1924), first edition, 96 pages, staple-bound in green wrappers, 8vo (6.25" x 9.25"). Signed by the author "<I>W. R. Gillis</B></I>" on the title page. William R. Gillis was a close friend of Mark Twain's. In fact, the two men lived together in a cabin on Jackass Hill in Angels Camp, which Gillis maintained until his death a few years after this booklet was published. Angels Camp is located in California gold rush territory, in Calaveras County, where Twain wrote "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County", the story that made him famous. Gillis's half-biography, half-memoir recounts the early days of his brother Steve, Mark Twain, and others in and around Angels Camp and the nearby boomtown of San Francisco. The book is an honest and unflinching view of the gold rush days in mid-19th century California. Gillis states in an introductory piece that the story he is about to relate is full of events "both tragic and dramatic, while in some of them my readers may find something they may deem humorous enough to cause a smile," words Twain could have written himself about his own West Coast days. The book is in very good condition, with mild foxing of the text edges and the first few pages.<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Books & Catalogs (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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