Thanks, Kevin. I thought it might be a worth while question, but didn't expect such a thoroughly researched and thoughtful answer. Sounds like it must be the last word on the subject (except for the cliff-hanger at the end!) Thanks again. Ben >See Gribben p 193 for evidence that Twain at least knew of her, although he >may not have read her works. He knew what her home looked like and Howells >quoted one of her poems to Twain in a letter. Twain would not have known of >her during her own lifetime through Higginson since he and Higginson did not >meet until 1905. He did knew both Wadsworth and Bowles during her lifetime, >but the circumstances of their encounters don't suggest she would have been >a topic of conversation. In 1876 Twain acquired a copy of Higgisnon's >ATLANTIC ESSAYS (1871) which included his famous "Letter to a Young >Contributor" which had prompted ED to contact him for his opinion of her >poetry (there is no mention of ED in this book, of course). Twain did mark >up that particular essay (I own Twain's copy). ED claimed to have read every >one of Higginson's essays in the Atlantic Monthly and her father was a >charter subscriber, so it's fair to assume that she would have continued >reading that magazine until her death in 1886, and if that's true than she >would have seen Twain's pieces in that magazine published before that date >(A True Story, Old Times on the Mississippi, etc). Her library and papers >are at Harvard, but I have no idea if it includes any Twain volumes, or any >dog-earred copies of Atlantic Monthly. Even if it contains none of Twain's >own books, it could easily include volumes that contain Twain contributions. >Twain did not own any of her collections of poetry, and so far as I can >tell, he owned no poetry anthologies that included her work (there were very >few such volumes published between 1878 amd 1910). So, it looks like Gribben >gave the full extent of Twain's awareness of her when he published his book >on Mark Twain's Library in 1980. The question remains whether she knew >Twain's work, and the answer may be on a shelf at Harvard > >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: "Ben Wise" <[log in to unmask]> >To: <[log in to unmask]> >Sent: Sunday, August 08, 2010 12:10 PM >Subject: Sam 'n' Em > > >> Now that the suspense is finally over, a related question occurs to >> me: what do we know about what they might have known of each other? >> Did either of them ever mention the other, or have the other >> mentioned to them personally by someone else, or own any of their >> books? >> >> From a curious but non-scholarly fan of both. >> >> Ben >> >> >> >>>We have a winner! They sent their answers to me privately and I've asked = >>>permission to post their reply to the list. Otherwise I'll post their = >>>answers without attribution. That was fast --less time than it took me = >>>to kill and poetize that fly. >>> >>>In the meantime, I still have extra copies of all three prize books, so = >>>I'll extend the offer of a prize to the second person to identify all = >>>three mutual friends of Twain and Emily Dickinson. Please post your = >>>answers to the list.=20 >>> >>>Kevin >>>@ >>>Mac Donnell Rare Books >>>9307 Glenlake Drive >>>Austin TX 78730 >>>512-345-4139 >>>Member: ABAA, ILAB >>>************************* >>>You may browse our books at=20 >>>www.macdonnellrarebooks.com >> > > >-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > >No virus found in this incoming message. >Checked by AVG - www.avg.com >Version: 9.0.851 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3058 - Release Date: 08/08/10 >01:35:00 -- ................................................................................................................................................. Benjamin N. Wise, Ph.D. Home Phone: 603-256-8350 Professor Emeritus Fax: 603-358-2897 Keene State College [log in to unmask] Keene, NH 03435-2001