Conversation by the Social Fireside as It Was in the Time of the Tudors. Date--Sixteen hundred One.Called "the most famous piece of pornography in American literature" by literary critic and Twain scholar, Edgar Wagenknecht, 1601 is one of Twain's scarcest titles. It was printed fewer than 400 times prior to the author's death; our copy is one of 55 of the last run printed during his lifetime. This burlesque is pure Twain at his snarkiest--such as in the preface: "The following is an extract from the Diary of the Pepys of the period; the same being Queen Elizabeth's Cup-bearer. He of ancient and noble lineage, despises Literary Canaille: his soul consumes with wrath to see the Queen stooping to talk with such; he feels that his nobility is defiled by contact with Shakspere and the rest, but must remain till Her Majesty chooses to dismiss him." Our copy is a hardback in good condition. Prev. owner's bookplate neatly fixed to front paste down. Book has some wear to the boards,a tear in the cloth along the spine edge, now professionally stabilized, bumping of corners, and minor staining. That said, it is still a very nice copy that will cheekily stand out in any Twain collection.
