I am on the track of it... How did you get this very rare book? I am curious! (I have one book by J.M. Barrie also edited by Shorter - 25 copies all around the world. This one: http://www.sirjmbarrie.com/bibliographie/shakespeare.htm) Le 30/12/2010 19:55, Kevin Mac Donnell a écrit : > Here's the story behind this brief piece (it's not at all what you might > think)-- > > Twain inscribed a copy of HF to J M Barrie. According to Clement Shorter, > this copy also carried an owner's inscription by "Sarah Findlay of Illinois" > and Twain makes reference to this person in his inscription. Clement > Shorter, who was fond of printing tiny little limited editions, printed this > piece and speculated that Sarah Findlay must have been some poor girl who > sent her copy of HF to Twain for an autograph and never got it back. He > wrote Barrie asking for a comment, and in this rare little private printing > he printed his own preface with his speculations about Sarah Findlay, plus > Barrie's comments about HF, a transription of Twain's inscription to Barrie, > and the text of an anonymous letter Twain sent to England about piracies of > Barries' works. > > But before you all scamper off a'googling, or clawing through ancestry.com > for an answer to this mystery, I should also mention that Shorter reveals > that he changed the name of the woman whose name was in this copy and also > says she was not from Illinois. There is no Sarah Findlay. > > So... we need to locate Barrie's copy of HF, find out the woman's real name, > and then with a little bit of googling and a few minutes in ancestry.com the > "mystery" will be solved. > > Ready! set! go! > > 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: "Steve Hoffman"<[log in to unmask]> > To:<[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 2010 6:35 PM > Subject: Re: Mysterious text > > >> Well, count me among those who is now curious as to the answer to the >> question in the title of this work! >> >> I.e., who the heck /was /Sarah Findlay? Fictional character? Real >> person? Is this an essay or a short story by Twain? And how did J.M. >> Barrie figure into it? >> >> A quick perusal of my Twain reference books discloses that Twain and >> Barrie had some acquaintance -- I could find no index entries to the >> mysterious Ms. Findlay. >> >> By the way, the manuscript does not appear to be available on Google >> Books. >> >> Curious, >> Steve Hoffman >> Takoma Park MD >> >> >> >> Kevin Mac Donnell wrote: >>> I have a copy and I also have a set of proof sheets that lacks only the >>> preface leaf. I can photocopy the loosely folded proofs more easily than >>> the >>> bound copy, and copying them and mailing it to you would be easier (on me >>> and the booklet itself) than scanning them. >>> >>> Please try google books first, but I'm happy to help if you strike out >>> there. Perhaps somebody knows if this piece has ever been reprinted in >>> book >>> form or collected into a later collection of his works. If you fail to >>> find >>> a reprint or a copy online, just send me your mailing address offline. >>> >>> 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: "Céline-Albin Faivre"<[log in to unmask]> >>> To:<[log in to unmask]> >>> Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 2010 11:37 AM >>> Subject: Mysterious text >>> >>> >>> >>>> Good evening, >>>> I wondered if someone among the specialists of this forum could tell me >>>> where I can read this very rare text: >>>> /Who Was Sarah Findlay? By Mark Twain With a Suggested Solution of the >>>> Mystery by J. M. Barrie/. London: Privately Printed by Clement Shorter, >>>> April 1917. >>>> I know there are only 25 copies all around the world. >>>> Many thanks in advance for your help. >>>> Céline-Albin Faivre >>>> >>>> >>>> >>> >>> >> >