RARE: Unauthorised edition: THE INNOCENTS ABROAD by Mark Twain, Richard Edward King, c1885

An undated old book in need of tlc, the book is bound, but the spine of the cover is almost totally adrift, and needs to be re-fixed - see pictures. Nevertheless, a great copy of Mark Twain's (Samuel Clemens) experiences aboard the steamship Quaker City - printed without permission by a colourful London Printer circa. 1880

No foxing, but age discolouration to pages.

"The Innocents Abroad began as a series of travel letters written mainly for the Alta California, a San Francisco paper that sponsored Mark Twain's participation in the trip to Europe and the Holy Land in 1867 aboard the steamship Quaker City. On the excursion from New York to Palestine they traveled a distance of over twenty thousand miles by sea and land through France, Spain, Italy, Morocco, Russia, Turkey and Egypt. Through his humorous writings he describes countries, nations, incidents.."

This is an UNAUTHORISED EDITION, printed by Richard Edward King in London..."one of several hundred Victorian book publishers unknown to history. Yet he made a significant contribution to the democratisation of reading, and of the wider society. He led a picaresque and colourful life, which itself contributed to his downfall. However, his work - between 1885 and 1900 especially - notably reflects the context of innovation and cultural change of book publishing and the intensely competitive evolution of mass markets. His firm - which he began in London in 1885 when just 29 years old - published several hundred titles, and styled itself publishers of "Books for the Million." Richard Edward King was born into a life of middle-class privilege, but he was buried in a pauper's grave. His family were successful booksellers and public figures from 1735, yet he served 16 months in prison with hard labour for fraud."