What a delightful account!  And what a terrific participant you are, having
bought EVERYBODY'S book!  I feel a little sorry for your wife, but very
glad for the authors.

I'm going to be giving a talk at our local Book Collectors Club in
November, billed as a Mark Twain Book Accumulator (rather than Collector.)
I plan
to bring every one that I have to dazzle them with the sheer quantity.  I
will then proceed to testify to the effect they had on me.

I think I'll go look at the videos somebody took at an earlier conference in
Elmira.  Thanks again for your marvelous report.
Arianne Laidlaw




On Mon, Aug 5, 2013 at 5:54 PM, Rick Talbot <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Elmira 2013
>
> The Seventh International Conference
> On the State of Mark Twain Studies
>
> EVALUATION
>
> 1.      How would you rate the conference overall?
>
> Excellent
>
>         Additional comments/criticisms/ things we did well/ things to
> improve:
>
> The conference this year was remarkably affordable, and we have Barb
> Snedecor to thank for that. Times are tough economically, yet I was able to
> raise the necessary funds in only a few short weeks by nightly taking the
> money from my wife's purse. The toll on her was so exceedingly light that
> the dear woman never felt this burden being gently lifted from her
> shoulders, and again, we have Barb Snedecor to thank. My wife would thank
> her, too, if only she could.
>
> 2.      Your comments and suggestions on any of the following specific
> topics would be welcome:
>
> Satisfaction with Campus Housing (if applicable):
>
>
> I stayed in the monastic surroundings of Tomkins Hall dormitory. My room
> austere and my pallet sufficiently hard as to afford the opportunity to
> contemplate my sins when sleep would not come easy. I sometimes awoke
> covered in sweat believing that I had an Econ. exam in the morning for
> which
> I had not studied. It was over all, a true collegiate experience.
>
>
> Satisfaction with Dining Services:
>
> The food was very good, the staff warm and welcoming, and the table talk
> unforgettable.
>
> This space provided for additional thoughts, criticisms, and suggestions
> for
> future conferences. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated. Thank you.
>
> I am a collector of rare Mark Twain books. I am not a man of letters nor
> have I written books or papers about Mark Twain yet the welcome bestowed
> upon me was no less appreciated than the honorary Doctorate given to Twain
> at Oxford. The Body-Twain has made clear to me the imperative of my
> attendance here in that I am a member of that body and no less
> indispensable
> than a finger or a toe or a foot to that body. Ask yourself which part of
> your body might you willingly give up.
>
> I see now that I am a valued member-perhaps the most valued member-in that
> I
> am the only one who bought every one of their damn books. These Men and
> Women of Letters all wrote books, and where I could have spent my money
> more
> wisely on my wife and children, I squandered it on the labors of their
> love.
>
> And now I return home to read and read again what they have written richer
> in having known these men and women, looked into their eyes, and warmly
> shaken their hands.
>
> My curriculum vitae shall forever list my proudest accomplishment as
> "Independent Mark Twain Scholar."
>
>
> Best,
> Rick Talbot
>
> Independent Mark Twain Scholar (2009 to Present)
> Commissioner of Communications, City of Falcon Heights (1994 to Present)
> Housing Inspector, City of Crystal (retired)
> Code Enforcement Officer, City of Roseville (retired)
> Councilmember, Falcon Heights City Council (retired)
> Editor, CaptionMax (retired)
> Teaching Assistant, Spec. Ed. SD 162 (retired)
> Facility Manager, Beth El Synagogue (retired)
> Statistical Clerk, Ramsey County Hospital (retired)
> Venereal Disease Technician, St. Paul Bureau of Health (retired)
> Coroner's Investigator, Ramsey County Morgue (retired)
> Medic, US Army Reserve (retired)
> Forklift Operator, Coca Cola Bottling (retired)
> Baker, Lee's Village Inn (retired)
> Pots and Pans Washer, Lee's Village Inn (retired)
> Caddy, Lost Spur Golf Club (retired)
>
>
> Richard Talbot
> 1531 West Idaho Avenue
> Falcon Heights, MN 55108-2118
> (651) 646-6624
> (651) 280 8734
> [log in to unmask]