"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", by Mark Twain, illustrated by Norman Rockwell, published by The Heritage Press, New York, 1936. Original First Heritage Press Edition in original slipcase. [larger format and higher print quality than later reprints].

Original slipcase; hard boards, covered with plain greenish linen [faded spine], 7" x 10"; 346 pages with Rockwell's b/w chapter headings; 8 color plates on glossy paper, nice cream-color paper, very good/ fine condition.

In 1935, George Macy, the publisher of the Heritage Press and Limited Editions Club books, invited Norman Rockwell to illustrate Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn".

Rockwell visited Hannibal, Missouri, Twain's boyhood town, to find authentic details to include in his work. Twain's vivid descriptions of character, setting and mood were an inspiration to the illustrator, who considered each of the writer's scenes to be "complete and perfect to the last detail."Rockwell remembered, "These were classics. I read through the books, making notes of which scenes would make good pictures. Of course certain scenes- for instance, Tom whitewashing his Aunt Polly's fence- were required."

Rockwell purchased old clothes from the Hannibal locals to "soak up the atmosphere": "Of all the illustrators (and there were quite a few) that illustrated these novels in the past, Rockwell was the first to visit Mark Twain's home town. In typical Rockwell fashion, no amount of detail or research was ignored, faked or quickly glossed over."

Rockwell illustrated for Heritage Press two of Twain's most famous books, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" in 1936 and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" in 1940.

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US: Priority (c.2-8 days) ---------------- $18.50
Canada: Priority (c.2-6 weeks) ------- $32.50
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