Thanks for the good words. I deliberately said "cry" instead of "weep" so as
not to make it too easily googlable.
It's hard to think of questions that are not easily googled (Martha would
probably ask if that is A Bad Thing).
Below is the best contest question (s) I can come up with in order to give
away this copy of WHO IS MARK TWAIN?
To win the book you must answer all four of these questions--
1. Cite by day/month/year/recipient Twain's earliest known use of the n-word
in a letter.
2. Cite by title Twain's earliest use of the word in one of his published
writings.
3. Cite by title Twain's earliest use of the word in one of his books.
4. Cite by day/month/year/recipient his last known use of the word (in a
letter, book, or other piece of writing).
Here's where it gets sticky-- I know #1 and 3. I think I know #4, but could
stand corrected. I'm clueless on #2, but curious.
If nobody gets all four, whoever gets the most correct answers wins. The
book gets given away this time!
I'm defining "correct answer" as whatever answer seems most correct and is
unrefuted by the time the contest ends...
This contest ends late Monday AM.
Kevin
@
Mac Donnell Rare Books
9307 Glenlake Drive
Austin TX 78730
512-345-4139
Member: ABAA, ILAB
*************************
You may browse our books at
www.macdonnellrarebooks.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lawrence Howe" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, May 01, 2010 5:36 PM
Subject: Re: Contest Over!
> Kevin--
>
> That's great. I had figured out from your clues that it was Horace, but
> my=
> google searching didn't come up with anything, and I hadn't tracked the
> we=
> ep part of your clue. I was tickled to hear the answer. I can imagine
> mos=
> t of his contemporaries waxing poetic at great length in the their
> answers,=
> only to have his pithy response trump them all.=20
>
> I look forward to your next puzzle. This should be a regular feature of
> th=
> e forum, not all the time given how much it would absorb your energy, but
> q=
> uarterly wouldn't be too much to ask of you.=20
>
> --LH
>
> ________________________________________
> From: Mark Twain Forum [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kevin Mac Donnell
> [i=
> [log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Saturday, May 01, 2010 4:20 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Contest Over!
>
> Mark Twain's Shortest Publishing Writing...
>
> With no correct answers, I've decided to declare the contest over.
>
> The correct answer is YES.
>
> Here's the context---
>
> The magazine, The Critic, sent a question out to a number of authors =3D
> posing a question based on a maxim by Horace in DE ARTE POETICA LIBER: =3D
> "Is it necessary that an author who wishes his readers to weep should =3D
> first weep himself?"
>
> Twain's reply, in a letter from Hartford dated March 9, 1888, was simply =
> =3D
> "Yes" and appeared in the March 24, 1888 issue of the magazine (p. 136)
> =3D
> along with replies from many other authors, all of whom gave longer =3D
> replies, some bordering on short essays. Among the bloviators were =3D
> Edward Eggleston, Edward Everett Hale, Thomas Bailey Aldrich, Frances =3D
> Hodgson Burnett, Thomas Janvier, George W. Cable, Howard Pyle, Brander =3D
> Matthews, George Parsons Lathrop, Frank R. Stockton, and others. Quite a =
> =3D
> few of these other authors were friends of Twain. To modern eyes, the =3D
> question posed might seem maudlin, but it was posed at the height of =3D
> American realism, and had genuine contemporary relevance. After all, a =3D
> few years later Stephen Crane wrote a war story without having fought in =
> =3D
> battle himself. Twain's reply could have been shorter if he'd replied in =
> =3D
> the negative, but his affirmative reply should not be surprising =3D
> considering that his greatest works were largely autobiographical, drawn =
> =3D
> from the people and places and events he'd experienced himself. All Mark =
> =3D
> Twain Forum members probably share a regret that he did not explain his
> =3D
> answer. For the full text of the article and replying letters in The =3D
> Critic, go to Google Books and search the keywords "Twain Horace weep =3D
> Critic" and enjoy.
>
> I've still got this extra copy of WHO IS MARK TWAIN? and if somebody has =
> =3D
> an idea for a contest question, let me know...
>
> Kevin
> @
> Mac Donnell Rare Books
> 9307 Glenlake Drive
> Austin TX 78730
> 512-345-4139
> Member: ABAA, ILAB
> *************************
> You may browse our books at=3D20
> www.macdonnellrarebooks.com
> =3D20
>
> =3D20
>
> =3D20
>
> Kevin
> @
> Mac Donnell Rare Books
> 9307 Glenlake Drive
> Austin TX 78730
> 512-345-4139
> Member: ABAA, ILAB
> *************************
> You may browse our books at=3D20
> www.macdonnellrarebooks.com
>
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