I'm under contract with Chandos/Elsevier to write the book "Fifty
specialty libraries in New York City: Botany to magic." So far I've done
the MOMA library, the Explorers Club and the New York Society Library
(founded in 1759). Wednesday I was in town for a marathon April Fools Day
tour of four NYC libraries, starting with the Player's Club on South
Gramercy Park, where MT was one of the founding members, along with Edwin
Booth and Wm. Tecumseh Sherman. This site is unique in that it occupies the
building that it started in 140 years ago, although there was some redesign
work done by Stanford White early in the 20th century. Several paintings of
Twain are to be seen, including one next to the entrance of the reading
room. The librarian/archivist Ray Wemmlinger had anticipated my interest in
Twain, so he finished the visit by taking me to the basement, which housed
the billiards room. He directed my gaze to the painting of Twain above the
fireplace. Above that is MT's pool cue, which has been lovingly preserved
for the last century or so.  Later that day I was visiting the library that
began in 1820 as the Mercantile Library, and I was told that Twain had
given speeches in the library at least twice, although not in its current
location in the diamond district.

-- 


Terry Ballard
Author and Leisure Studies Manager
http://www.terryballard.org
Author of the book "Google this" http://googlethis.com
<http://googlethisforlibraries.com/>

"My memory has a mind of its own."