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Saint Joan of Arc
by Mark Twain 1919
$125
Publisher:  Harper and Brothers
Pages:     32 + xvi + 3 illustrated
Size:        8vo (9.5" x 7")
Condition: Very Good/Poor (Book/Dust jacket)

First Edition (DT), Second State (blank endpapers and an unintentionally inverted illustration). Very Good, tight copy. The dust jacket is present but torn and although intact is in poor condition. Beautifully crisp, bright illustrations by Howard Pyle, including a full color tipped frontispiece and three full-page illustrations. The body of the text is embellished with attractive green tinted decorations by Wilfred J. Jones. Each chapter commences with a decorated capital. The black cloth covered boards and spine are clean and very little worn. Binding is tight and contents complete. There are no loose, torn or damaged pages and no inscriptions. The thick, decoratively rough cut pages show some occasional light foxing.

Comments: Many people don't know that Mark Twain wrote a book about Joan of Arc, let alone this second, less-known piece of art. This book is a rare jewel of a find. I've seen it categorized as a children's book, but in my opinion this isn't at all an accurate category. The book is written with Twain's obvious devotion and scholarly knowledge extolling the virtues and deeds of "this most marvelous child". The impeccable writing of Twain seems perfect amidst the exquisite illustrations and unique sketches upon the margins of each page. The thick, rough cut pages add to the overall charm of the book, making it a one-of-a-kind treasure.

Twain sums up Joan's position with great vigor in the preface, thus, "�Joan of Arc, a mere child in years�found a great nation lying in chains, helpless and hopeless under alien domination� their King cowed, resigned to its fate, and preparing to fly the country; and she laid her hand upon this nation, this corpse, and it rose and followed her. She led it from victory to victory, she turned the tide of the Hundred Years' War, she fatally crippled the English power, and died with the earned title of Deliverer of France, which she bears to this day. And for all reward, the French King, whom she had crowned, stood supine and indifferent, while French priests took the noble child, the most innocent, the most lovely, the most adorable the ages have produced, and burned her alive at the stake."

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Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc by The Sieur Louis de Conte (Her Page and Secretary)
by Mark Twain 1899
$60
Publisher:  Harper and Brothers
Pages:      597 -- Two volumes in one binding:
               Volume I (309 pages) Volume II (288 pages)
Size:        12mo (5.75" x 8")
Condition: Good

Good, tight copy. Hardcover in red cloth binding. Front cover design. Stained on the front and back cover with fading on the spine; however, minimum wear inside, slight foxing only on front end paper. Pages are clean with no tears and binding is tight. Illustration plates are in very good condition. Totally readable copy. This rare book is unique in that it has a bookplate on the pastedown dedicated to WWI soldiers. It reads, "This book is provided by the people of the United States...for the use of soldiers and sailors."

Comments: Mark Twain considered this his best work, completed after spending 12 years in research and months in France doing archival research. I would definitely agree! Twain's book is by far the most favorite in my collection. It's extremely well researched and written with fantastic imagery and utmost devotion to Joan of Arc. There are 32 attractive illustrations on plates, printed on one side only, from original drawings by F.V. Du Mond and reproductions from old paintings and statues. The art work is old-school and beautiful. You can find the older editions but many times they are in individual volumes. This is the complete story, two volumes in one book.