Having the first edition of a book is great. Having the first copy of a book with an author’s inscription is even better. Here is the ultimate (at least to me). An author’s inscription to the dedicatee which states “first copy”.
Shown below are the cover of the book, Paine’s inscription and the dedication page from the book.
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Albert Bigelow Paine wrote several books that were published by Henry Altemus. Paine is most widely known for his four volume Mark Twain biography. But he also wrote a number of other books including Altemus’ three volume Arkansaw Bear Series.
The first book, The Arkansaw Bear, was published in 1898. The second book, Elsie and the Arkansaw Bear (pictured here) was published in 1909. In 1929 Arkansaw Bear Complete which included both earlier books was published.