A clarification to my previous posting and the statement I made that "these
books are still largely unaccounted for." After digging them out of a box, I
now have the benefit of having my research notes and printouts in front of
me. What I should have said is that the whereabouts of many or most of the
non-chess-related books are not known. I have in my possession:

** A 30-page photocopied list of Fiske's literature donations (books and
magazines; U.S. and European; Sir Walter Scott, W. D. Howells,
Bulwer-Lytton, The Atlantic Monthly, Scribner's, etc.) made to one
particular organization. These are the items mentioned in my previous
posting that were auctioned off until 1912. This organization appears to
have been the sole recipient of Fiske's literary donations and therefore the
likeliest to have received books by Mark Twain or having belonged to Mark
Twain.

** A 23-page printout of the 1,219 chess books Fiske donated to the National
and University Library in Reykjavik. If I recall, these are the only Fiske
donations they lay claim to, though there are certain books listed in their
online catalogue that may warrant further investigation.

** Akureyri library. As of 2001, the exact details of Fiske's donations were
unknown to them.

** Grímsey library. They acknowledge receipt of "picture, art, and geography
books" from Fiske, and the books are kept to this day in special cabinets.

I have had to put the subject aside since the last conference, due to
certain circumstances, and no longer have the time or energy necessary to
continue pursuing this. There were at least two individuals who, after the
2001 conference, expressed to me a general interest. If they have been
quietly pursuing their own research into the matter, perhaps the results
will be reported at the State of Mark Twain Studies conference this summer.

Regards,

Mary Leah Christmas