Hello,
        I have been enjoying the TwainL list for some time, and now that I
notice a lull...

        In  _Made in America_ Bill Bryson cites MT as the first person to
write
a book on a 'typemachine'. He also states that Twain was confused in his
autobiography as to which book. Twain says _The Adventures of Tom Sawyer_,
Bryson says
_Life on the Mississipi_. Who is right?

        Somewhere in _Mother Tongue_ Bryson says that MT was an advocate of
simplified spelling(I can,t find the book but it is in there).Again is this
true?

        Whilst on the aside of Bill Bryson:

                Auto-Beatnik Poem No.41

All children are small and crusty
And all pale, blind, humble waters are cleaning,
A insect, dumb and torrid,comes of the daddyo
How is a insect into this fur?

Written by a computer in Glendale. A search of glendale, auto-beatnik
helped not
a jot. Some mention of Life,3 March 1961,pp 109-17

Hope 'you' (we need a plural you in english sometimes) dont mind my
clogging
your mailboxes,

Regards   Kurt Lawlor