I'm under contract with Chandos/Elsevier to write the book "Fifty specialty libraries in New York City: Botany to magic." So far I've done the MOMA library, the Explorers Club and the New York Society Library (founded in 1759). Wednesday I was in town for a marathon April Fools Day tour of four NYC libraries, starting with the Player's Club on South Gramercy Park, where MT was one of the founding members, along with Edwin Booth and Wm. Tecumseh Sherman. This site is unique in that it occupies the building that it started in 140 years ago, although there was some redesign work done by Stanford White early in the 20th century. Several paintings of Twain are to be seen, including one next to the entrance of the reading room. The librarian/archivist Ray Wemmlinger had anticipated my interest in Twain, so he finished the visit by taking me to the basement, which housed the billiards room. He directed my gaze to the painting of Twain above the fireplace. Above that is MT's pool cue, which has been lovingly preserved for the last century or so. Later that day I was visiting the library that began in 1820 as the Mercantile Library, and I was told that Twain had given speeches in the library at least twice, although not in its current location in the diamond district. -- Terry Ballard Author and Leisure Studies Manager http://www.terryballard.org Author of the book "Google this" http://googlethis.com <http://googlethisforlibraries.com/> "My memory has a mind of its own."