Lately a feud has been raging among certain elements of the Twain community over the true origin of Sam Clemens' nom de plume.
I wonder, though: is this back-and-forth between the two Twain scholars/factions a put-on? Is it an "inside joke" perpetrated by close friends, such as the fake animosity carried on in Virginia (City) between Clemens at the Territorial Enterprise and Clement (T. Rice), AKA "The Unreliable" at a rival paper?
Is this two pals pulling our legs/playing pranks, to arouse interest in all things Twain, or is it a genuinely heated exchange?
- B. Clay Shannon