For what it's worth, in trying to track down the "bass-ackwards" 
reference, I came upon a collection of Lincoln's humorous writings, 
constituting Chap. 1 in the book, Humor in the White House by Arthur 
A. Sloane, partlally avalable online at Google books: 
http://books.google.com/books?id=acxcOfge46kC&printsec=frontcover&dq=humor+in+the+white+house&hl=en&ei=WPVSTLHmBsOAlAeet636BQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

(the URL is almost as long as the chapter excerpt - sorry).  It was 
quite refreshing to me to see how full of p*ss and v****gar old Abe 
was!

Ben




>In the 1980s I was selling the original manuscript to Lincoln's
>"bass-ackwards" sketch and researched this very question and came up with
>nothing. I thought that particular Lincoln joke --of many-- was as Twainish
>as any others, but still more akin to Twain's early phunny phellow brand of
>humor than the later Twain.
>
>Kevin
>@
>Mac Donnell Rare Books
>9307 Glenlake Drive
>Austin TX 78730
>512-345-4139
>Member: ABAA, ILAB
>*************************
>You may browse our books at
>www.macdonnellrarebooks.com
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Harold Bush" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Friday, July 30, 2010 8:52 AM
>Subject: Lincoln = the MT of our politics?
>
>
>>  Folks, as you all know, it was WDH who called our beloved MT the "Lincoln
>>  of
>>  our literature."
>>
>>  What I am wondering is the extent to which it may be plausible to turn
>>  that
>>  around, and talk about Lincoln as the "Mark Twain of our politics."
>>
>>  First, does anyone know of any writing or criticism that makes that
>>  connection?
>>
>>  Second, does anyone have any response or corroboration for such a concept?
>>
>>  happy waning summer days...
>>
>>  --
>>  Harold K. Bush, Ph.D
>>  Professor of English
>>  Saint Louis University
>>  St. Louis, MO  63108
>>  314-977-3616 (w); 314-771-6795 (h)
>>  <www.slu.edu/x23809.xml>
>>
>
>
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