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Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
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"Martin D. Zehr" <[log in to unmask]>
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Wed, 21 Jun 2006 18:16:00 +0000
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I believe Twain must have made a profit from the self-pasting scrapbooks,
which bear his name on the label.  I do know that these were marketed for
many years, beginning in the mid-1870s, in many cover styles and size
formats.  I have a few of these which were used for keeping newspaper
clippings and advertising cards, and they do appear to be very practical.
They do show up on ebay occasionally and typically do not command high bids
compared with other Twain-related items of the era, leading me to believe
that they were sold in suficient quantities to actually generate a profit.
Unlike the Paige typesetter, the self-pasting scrapbook did not require an
exorbitant capital investment, and, also unlike the Paige monstrosity, the
scrapbooks actually worked.  I believe Kevin MacDonnell could provide much
more detailed information regarding the commercial success of the
scrapbooks.

Martin Zehr
Kansas City, Missouri

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