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Mon, 29 Jul 2019 21:41:50 +0000
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Mac Donnell Rare Books <[log in to unmask]>
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Just back from the Hannibal Conference, and catching up on emails. This 
is good work. BAL (Bib. of American Lit.) supplies a "ca. 1890" date to 
this book, but this newspaper clip and letter from twain make clear that 
BAL is in error.

Kevin
@
Mac Donnell Rare Books
9307 Glenlake Drive
Austin TX 78730
512-345-4139
Member: ABAA, ILAB, BSA

You can browse our books at:
www.macdonnellrarebooks.com


------ Original Message ------
From: "Barbara Schmidt" <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: 7/23/2019 10:00:15 AM
Subject: Re: Mark Twain's Library of Humor a mystery

>I think the ELBOW ROOM publication was basically a “bait and switch” scam
>carried out by a small group.  The Chicago Tribune on 27 Oct 1877 reported
>on the door-to-door scam.  SLC sent a letter to newspapers across the
>country on 11 Dec 1877 disavowing it.
>
>Barb
>
>On Tuesday, July 23, 2019, Mac Donnell Rare Books <
>[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>>  The copies with the new subtitle show Twain as the author. The title-pages
>>  are a cancel, but the circumstances of their publication are unknown.
>>  Normally such a re-issue would be attributed to a publisher trying to cash
>>  in and move out unsold copies, but the timing (ca 1890) in this case
>>  suggests perhaps another motivation--somebody trying to stir the pot or get
>>  even, perhaps. I dunno.
>>
>>  Kevin
>>  @
>>  Mac Donnell Rare Books
>>  9307 Glenlake Drive
>>  Austin TX 78730
>>  512-345-4139
>>  Member: ABAA, ILAB, BSA
>>
>>  You can browse our books at:
>>  www.macdonnellrarebooks.com
>>
>>
>>  ------ Original Message ------
>>  From: "David Dussere" <[log in to unmask]>
>>  To: [log in to unmask]
>>  Sent: 7/22/2019 11:33:16 PM
>>  Subject: Re: Mark Twain's Library of Humor a mystery
>>
>>  There's always a bit/lot of unknown in the past. I'm not familiar with
>>>  your copy of Elbow Room, or the Innocents at Home. My copy's  title page is
>>>  Elbow-Room/ a novel without a plot/ Philadelphia/  J.M. Stoddart & Co. Back
>>>  page shows 1876. I think Elbow Room was remaindered and new title pages
>>>  pasted in (one explanation for the subtitle you indicate). My memory
>>>  (always a leaky vessel) recalls seeing a book with the title page  Elbow
>>>  Room with Mark Twain as the author. I saw this copy at U of Wisc. library
>>>  (1971?) It was still cataloged with a Cutter number--hadn't been redone
>>>  into LC.Horst Kruse's article in MTJ (1991) shows the animosity between
>>>  Twain and Clark goes back to 1869 and publication of Twain's "Bad Boy"
>>>  sketch. Twain's hostility to Clark may have changed his pseudonym from John
>>>  Quill to Max Adeler.  Anyway, the question remains-- was the Butterwick's
>>>  Little Gas Bill" sketch included in MTLH as anonymous because the editors
>>>  didn't know the author (Clark/Adeler was very well known in the 1880's), or
>>>  because Twain wanted  Clark/Adeler's name  suppressed, or because Clark had
>>>  renounced his humor in 1882 to become an editor and writer for business
>>>  periodicals and refused permission, or for some other reason. There are
>>>  good reasons to support each theory. Forthcoming  facts are even more
>>>  convincing.
>>>  david dussere
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>  -----Original Message-----
>>>  From: Mac Donnell Rare Books <[log in to unmask]>
>>>  To: TWAIN-L <[log in to unmask]>
>>>  Sent: Mon, Jul 22, 2019 8:19 am
>>>  Subject: Re: Mark Twain's Library of Humor a mystery
>>>
>>>  The plot thickens. Yes, Adeler accused Twain of stealing the plot for CY
>>>  from him. Makes you wonder if the publication of Adeler's novel, Elbow
>>>  Room (1876), with a fake title-page substituted reading Elbow Room, or
>>>  the Innocents at Home, might have had something to do with all of this.
>>>  The date is unknown but ca. 1890, so the timing is right.
>>>
>>>
>>>  Kevin
>>>  @
>>>  Mac Donnell Rare Books
>>>  9307 Glenlake Drive
>>>  Austin TX 78730
>>>  512-345-4139
>>>  Member: ABAA, ILAB, BSA
>>>
>>>  You can browse our books at:
>>>  www.macdonnellrarebooks.com
>>>
>>>
>>>  ------ Original Message ------
>>>  From: "David Dussere" <[log in to unmask]>
>>>  To: [log in to unmask]
>>>  Sent: 7/22/2019 12:13:21 AM
>>>  Subject: Re: Mark Twain's Library of Humor a mystery
>>>
>>>  Thanks Kevin for your (as always) informative reply. Your guess that the
>>>>  editors of the MTLH didn't know the source because it had been reprinted
>>>>  with no author indicated is probably what happened. But I have two
>>>>  theories, both based on the contentious relationship between Clark and
>>>>  Twain. (The MTJ in 1991 has two essays--one by Horst Kruse and the other by
>>>>  David Ketterman) illustrating the friction.)  Perhaps Twain wanted
>>>>  Clark's/Adeler's name suppressed. Or Clark refused to grant permission to
>>>>  publish a possibly copyright piece. (The almost exact sketch ("Butterwick's
>>>>  Little Gas Bill") is in Clark/Adeler's ELBOW ROOM.)  By 1888 ( the
>>>>  publishing of MTLH)  Clark was trying to get rid of his reputation as a
>>>>  "mere"  humorist. I look forward to the Clemens conference and welcome any
>>>>  further discussion about  Clark/Adeler and his place as a humorist.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>  -----Original Message-----
>>>>  From: Mac Donnell Rare Books <[log in to unmask]>
>>>>  To: TWAIN-L <[log in to unmask]>
>>>>  Sent: Sun, Jul 21, 2019 11:59 am
>>>>  Subject: Re: Mark Twain's Library of Humor a mystery
>>>>
>>>>  Just speculating here:
>>>>
>>>>  I've found Max Adler's sketches on Mr Butterwick's gas bill and Mr.
>>>>  Butterwick counting sheep published in newspapers anonymously (and in
>>>>  some papers where it is credited to Adler). Editors sometimes played
>>>>  fast and loose with items they plucked from the exchange. Things get
>>>>  credited to Twain that he did not write, and snippets from Twain's
>>>>  published books often got reprinted under spurious titles, with and
>>>>  without sourcing. Texts get altered to suit local readershiops and
>>>>  authorships get misattributed or ignored.
>>>>
>>>>  So, the text used in MTLB may have been taken from a newspaper, comic
>>>>  anthology, or magazine where it appeared without the authorship
>>>>  credited. I'm pretty certain Twain would have recognized Adler's
>>>>  authorship of any sketch having to do with Mr Butterwick, but he did not
>>>>  edit MTLB and may not have noticed the lack of attribution.
>>>>
>>>>  I'd want to look at Gribben (MT's Library), MTP's online letters,
>>>>  N&J1-3, AMT1-3, Fears Day-by-Day online (but double-check his citations,
>>>>  and you may have to look under both the Ms and As in the index to find
>>>>  references to Adler), as well as a few other places.
>>>>
>>>>  Kevin
>>>>  @
>>>>  Mac Donnell Rare Books
>>>>  9307 Glenlake Drive
>>>>  Austin TX 78730
>>>>  512-345-4139
>>>>  Member: ABAA, ILAB, BSA
>>>>
>>>>  You can browse our books at:
>>>>  www.macdonnellrarebooks.com
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>  ------ Original Message ------
>>>>  From: "David Dussere" <[log in to unmask]>
>>>>  To: [log in to unmask]
>>>>  Sent: 7/20/2019 9:37:20 PM
>>>>  Subject: Mark Twain's Library of Humor a mystery
>>>>
>>>>  Only one selection "Butterwick's Little Gas Bill" in MTLH is attributed
>>>>>  to anonymous. Why and what exactly was its source? Charles Heber Clark (Max
>>>>>  Adeler/John Quill) wrote the sketch, but the where and why are only a
>>>>>  speculation to me. I haven't done the needed research and would welcome any
>>>>>  comments on the Forum or at the conference in Hannibal.David Dussere
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>

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