"Contest?" you say. "Yup, contest" says I.

John Bird's posting reminded me that it's important to support the journals, newsletters, and historical sites that focus on Mark Twain. With that in mind, here's what's up for grabs and how you can win...

Mark Twain's daughter Clara bequeathed the very last of her family's relics (some amazing things she held dear and never gave away or sold) to her faithful assistant, Phyllis Harrington, and Harrington gave most of those things to one of her friends from whom I acquired them some years ago. Among Clara's piles of papers and photographs were some modern 5x7 prints of her mother and father that Clara had made in the late 1940s from her originals. I own Clara's originals of those photos, and those are NOT up for grabs, but I have a small stack of Clara's modern prints. She kept these around to give to friends and used them to fulfill requests for her autograph from time to time. These are from her unused stash and are not signed by her. The photo of Mark Twain reproduces an image of him taken in Australia in 1895 and the image of her mother is the familiar one of her taken in Hartford ca. 1875 by Horace Bundy. They would look great framed together and hanging on the wall of any Twainian. Here are the three ways you can win one or both of these prints--

1. The first person who emails me and can swear to God or Satan that they are members/subscribers to the Mark Twain Circle (see John Bird's posting), The Mark Twain Journal (http://marktwainjournal.com), The Mark Twain Museum in Hannibal (http://marktwainmuseum.org), The Mark Twain House in Hartford (http://marktwainhouse.org), The Mark Twain Center in Elmira ([log in to unmask]), and The Mark Twain Project at Berkeley (http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/MTP) wins both prints. It does not matter how long you've been a member/subscriber, so you could subscribe to all of them today and still win if you are the first to email me after doing so.

2. The first person who emails me and can identify the four truly terrible puns not so well hidden in my Charlie Webster article AND the snippet of verse from a Christmas song also imbedded therein, also wins both prints. You don't have to be a member or subscriber to anything.

3. The first person who emails me and can identify at least three of the items in #2 and swear they are members/subscribers to at least three of the journals/newsletters/centers listed in #1 wins their choice of a print of either Livy or Sam.

SOME IMPORTANT RULES-- There will be only one winner in each category, and nobody can win more than one category. Send your emails to me OFFLIST ([log in to unmask]), and whatever you do, don't divulge who killed Charlie Webster and spoil the surprise for anyone who has not yet read MTJ #51. The winners will, with their permission, be announced on the Forum. 

NB: This little contest is not sanctioned by any of the journals or places mentioned in #1. 

Kevin
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