Nevertheless, I think it is wonderful that it has drawn the attention of so many reviewers. Whether the reviews make it clear where your work can be found, I can't remember. But I know I've looked on the Mark Twain Journal site and have not figured out whether subscribing has anything to do with getting a copy of (I think) #50. I'm working on figuring it out. Arianne Laidlaw Sacramento, CA. On Thu, Oct 10, 2013 at 7:49 AM, Kevin Mac Donnell < [log in to unmask]> wrote: > The story continues to mutate in odd [amusing, frustrating, unexpected, > etc.] ways. It was on Huffington Post a couple of days ago where the writer > seems to imply that Twain only used two pen-names before he settled on > "Mark > Twain." This seems to be a misreading of the piece about my article in the > LA Times Review of Books that mentioned two or three previous pen-names. > Another piece says Twain's only reason for not wanting to admit Vanity Fair > was his source was because the Phunny Phellows associated with that > magazine > were not very funny. I happen to think some Phunny Phellow humor is very > funny, but it did go stale, and Twain was heading in other directions. Not > mentioned in that other piece was the fact that the "Mr Mark Twain" > character in the VF piece was presented as merely "shallow" in the context > of the term's meaning when used on ocean-going vessels. Also not mentioned > was that Twain wanted to associate his name with the romance, glory, and > mythologies of the Mississippi River (duh!). Of course, I explain all of > this in my article but not much of what I wrote has been translated into > these second and third and fourth generation pieces about my article. > Martin > Zehr's piece about my article in the Kansas City Star and Daniel > Hernandez's > piece in the LA Times Book Review are excellent, but some of those who have > picked up the story since have truly unimpressive reading comprehension > skills. Imagine evolution running in reverse, my article being human and > the > online blogs being the monkey offsprings. Eventually the story could > devolve > into something that slithers backwards into some primordial sea. Bu-bye to > all that. > > All I can do is urge that those interested read the original article in the > Mark Twain Journal. > > 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: "Rick Talbot" <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Wednesday, October 09, 2013 8:46 PM > Subject: Re: Should go directly to it > > > > Kevin, > > You're always going to be my hero. Your erudition is incomparable and let > > all the others say what they might. The work stands for itself. > Illegitimi > > non carborundum. > > > > Your friend and fan in Minnesota,Rick > > PS > > Give Donna my best > > > > Richard Talbot > > 1531 West Idaho Avenue > > Falcon Heights, MN 55108-2118 > > (651) 646-6624 > > (651) 280 8734 > > [log in to unmask] > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Mark Twain Forum [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Charles > > Cogar > > Sent: Saturday, October 05, 2013 1:04 PM > > To: [log in to unmask] > > Subject: Re: Should go directly to it > > > > Thanks everyone for sharing this. > > > > I always thought the pen name was attributed to a river depth call of > > "...mark, twain...." meaning a depth of twelve feet? > > > > Kindly, > > > > Charles Cogar > > Omaha, Nebraska > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Mark Twain Forum [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kevin Mac > > Donnell > > Sent: Saturday, October 05, 2013 10:50 AM > > To: [log in to unmask] > > Subject: Re: Should go directly to it > > > > I must thank Mr Durrett for his posting. I'd have done it myself --I have > > no > > > > false modesty. And none of the genuine stuff either. > > > > The LA Book Review piece by David Hernandez has spread to many places. I > > was > > > > informed by someone that a website that tracks and ranks media postings > > that > > > > go"viral" ranked this piece 1,238 out of about 12,500 media postings that > > appeared in that same 24 hour period. That was after it got posted at > > salon.com. I'm not sure how viral that really is, but while "going > viral" > > online I was at home nursing a truly painful abdominal infection with two > > antibiotics that had entertaining side effects (cf 1601). Too much > > information --I know-- but I like the irony, and as I get older my > > appreciation for irony is exceeded only by my appreciation for > > antibiotics. > > > > It also got pinged as "noteworthy research" or "articles worth noting" or > > something like that at The Chronicle of Higher Education, got a notice > and > > link at the New Yorker website, and even got blogged about in Italy. > There > > have been a bunch of Facebook "likes" attached to the LA Book Review > piece > > and a bunch of tweets, but I belong to neither and don't follow any of > > that. > > > > Whatever Kevin Mac Donnells you may see on Facebook are not me. Comments > > I've read in some other places lead me to conclude that the less a reader > > "gets" what they are reading, the more likely they feel compelled to post > > something. Of course, none of these people are reading my original > > article; > > they are reading and responding to a short piece about my article, and > > some > > of the subsequent postings about it leave out even more details which > > begins > > > > to distort what I said, reminding me of the old game of "rumor." Some of > > these subsequent postings would have you thinking some things that I > never > > said and wholly unaware of many things I did say in How Sam Clemens Found > > Mark Twain. > > > > Anyway, it's nice to see Twain in the popular media and I hope the bottom > > line is that it draws some new subscriptions to the Mark Twain Journal > and > > gets people to read his writings. > > > > 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: <[log in to unmask]> > > To: <[log in to unmask]> > > Sent: Saturday, October 05, 2013 10:10 AM > > Subject: Should go directly to it > > > > > >> Folks: > >> > >> I copied-and-pasted an intermediate step. This > >> will take you right to the Atlantic Newswire page. > >> > >> I hope. > >> > >> Dang, sorry for the rabbit trail. > >> > >> > > > http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2013/10/now-we-know-how-samuel- > >> clemens-became-mark-twain/70161/ > >> > >> Roger Durrett > >> > >> > >> > >> ----- > >> No virus found in this message. > >> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > >> Version: 2014.0.4142 / Virus Database: 3604/6716 - Release Date: > 10/02/13 > >> > > > > > > > > ----- > > No virus found in this message. > > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > > Version: 2014.0.4142 / Virus Database: 3604/6734 - Release Date: 10/08/13 > > > -- Arianne Laidlaw A '58