Kevin MacDonnell would know the publication information regarding European
issues of Twain's works better than I, but an edition of The Jumping Frog
was published by Routledge in England in 1867, simultaneous with the
American first edition, and the same thing applies to The Innocents Abroad
in 1869.  The English, it can be argued, were already primed to receive
Twain's brand of American humor in 1867, the year of Artemus Ward's death-
in England.  Ward was widely popular in England at the time of his death,
so shifting their interest to another variant of American humor may not
have been the least bit difficult.  Twain undoubtedly benefited from Ward's
popularity at the time, and was all too willing to "borrow" from Ward.
Twain's running joke in The Innocents Abroad, the question put to the
guides, "Is He Dead?" can be traced to an Artemus Ward sketch which might
have been familiar to English readers.  David E. E. Sloane has recently
confirmed the link and the Ward citation for me.  Thus, it can be argued,
Ward should not only be credited as a/the source of "Mark Twain," his
popularity likely made Twain's early acceptance in England a bit more
likely.

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On Fri, Jun 9, 2017 at 3:16 AM, Scott Holmes <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I remain dubious that Twain attained much recognition in Europe because
> of the Jumping Frog tale, as it is very much regional humor - but of
> such quality that it garnered national recognition.  I suspect that it
> was The Innocents Abroad that earned him, at least, Europe's attention.
>  I'm wondering if any of his letters to Alta California found their way
> into European publications.  Is it possible that these columns caught
> the attention of those Europeans residing in the US; ambassadors,
> business representatives, etc. that may have forwarded the articles to
> their homelands.  Their interest may have been piqued by this
> provocative journalist making unusual observations of their country(s).
> How successful was initial publication of The Innocents Abroad abroad?
> It appears that the French version of the Jumping Frog came out
> following publication of The Innocents Abroad.
>
> --
>  There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of
>                           in your philosophy.
>                         http://bscottholmes.com
>