Just back from the Hannibal Conference, and catching up on emails. This is good work. BAL (Bib. of American Lit.) supplies a "ca. 1890" date to this book, but this newspaper clip and letter from twain make clear that BAL is in error. Kevin @ Mac Donnell Rare Books 9307 Glenlake Drive Austin TX 78730 512-345-4139 Member: ABAA, ILAB, BSA You can browse our books at: www.macdonnellrarebooks.com ------ Original Message ------ From: "Barbara Schmidt" <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] Sent: 7/23/2019 10:00:15 AM Subject: Re: Mark Twain's Library of Humor a mystery >I think the ELBOW ROOM publication was basically a “bait and switch” scam >carried out by a small group. The Chicago Tribune on 27 Oct 1877 reported >on the door-to-door scam. SLC sent a letter to newspapers across the >country on 11 Dec 1877 disavowing it. > >Barb > >On Tuesday, July 23, 2019, Mac Donnell Rare Books < >[log in to unmask]> wrote: > >> The copies with the new subtitle show Twain as the author. The title-pages >> are a cancel, but the circumstances of their publication are unknown. >> Normally such a re-issue would be attributed to a publisher trying to cash >> in and move out unsold copies, but the timing (ca 1890) in this case >> suggests perhaps another motivation--somebody trying to stir the pot or get >> even, perhaps. I dunno. >> >> Kevin >> @ >> Mac Donnell Rare Books >> 9307 Glenlake Drive >> Austin TX 78730 >> 512-345-4139 >> Member: ABAA, ILAB, BSA >> >> You can browse our books at: >> www.macdonnellrarebooks.com >> >> >> ------ Original Message ------ >> From: "David Dussere" <[log in to unmask]> >> To: [log in to unmask] >> Sent: 7/22/2019 11:33:16 PM >> Subject: Re: Mark Twain's Library of Humor a mystery >> >> There's always a bit/lot of unknown in the past. I'm not familiar with >>> your copy of Elbow Room, or the Innocents at Home. My copy's title page is >>> Elbow-Room/ a novel without a plot/ Philadelphia/ J.M. Stoddart & Co. Back >>> page shows 1876. I think Elbow Room was remaindered and new title pages >>> pasted in (one explanation for the subtitle you indicate). My memory >>> (always a leaky vessel) recalls seeing a book with the title page Elbow >>> Room with Mark Twain as the author. I saw this copy at U of Wisc. library >>> (1971?) It was still cataloged with a Cutter number--hadn't been redone >>> into LC.Horst Kruse's article in MTJ (1991) shows the animosity between >>> Twain and Clark goes back to 1869 and publication of Twain's "Bad Boy" >>> sketch. Twain's hostility to Clark may have changed his pseudonym from John >>> Quill to Max Adeler. Anyway, the question remains-- was the Butterwick's >>> Little Gas Bill" sketch included in MTLH as anonymous because the editors >>> didn't know the author (Clark/Adeler was very well known in the 1880's), or >>> because Twain wanted Clark/Adeler's name suppressed, or because Clark had >>> renounced his humor in 1882 to become an editor and writer for business >>> periodicals and refused permission, or for some other reason. There are >>> good reasons to support each theory. Forthcoming facts are even more >>> convincing. >>> david dussere >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: Mac Donnell Rare Books <[log in to unmask]> >>> To: TWAIN-L <[log in to unmask]> >>> Sent: Mon, Jul 22, 2019 8:19 am >>> Subject: Re: Mark Twain's Library of Humor a mystery >>> >>> The plot thickens. Yes, Adeler accused Twain of stealing the plot for CY >>> from him. Makes you wonder if the publication of Adeler's novel, Elbow >>> Room (1876), with a fake title-page substituted reading Elbow Room, or >>> the Innocents at Home, might have had something to do with all of this. >>> The date is unknown but ca. 1890, so the timing is right. >>> >>> >>> Kevin >>> @ >>> Mac Donnell Rare Books >>> 9307 Glenlake Drive >>> Austin TX 78730 >>> 512-345-4139 >>> Member: ABAA, ILAB, BSA >>> >>> You can browse our books at: >>> www.macdonnellrarebooks.com >>> >>> >>> ------ Original Message ------ >>> From: "David Dussere" <[log in to unmask]> >>> To: [log in to unmask] >>> Sent: 7/22/2019 12:13:21 AM >>> Subject: Re: Mark Twain's Library of Humor a mystery >>> >>> Thanks Kevin for your (as always) informative reply. Your guess that the >>>> editors of the MTLH didn't know the source because it had been reprinted >>>> with no author indicated is probably what happened. But I have two >>>> theories, both based on the contentious relationship between Clark and >>>> Twain. (The MTJ in 1991 has two essays--one by Horst Kruse and the other by >>>> David Ketterman) illustrating the friction.) Perhaps Twain wanted >>>> Clark's/Adeler's name suppressed. Or Clark refused to grant permission to >>>> publish a possibly copyright piece. (The almost exact sketch ("Butterwick's >>>> Little Gas Bill") is in Clark/Adeler's ELBOW ROOM.) By 1888 ( the >>>> publishing of MTLH) Clark was trying to get rid of his reputation as a >>>> "mere" humorist. I look forward to the Clemens conference and welcome any >>>> further discussion about Clark/Adeler and his place as a humorist. >>>> >>>> >>>> -----Original Message----- >>>> From: Mac Donnell Rare Books <[log in to unmask]> >>>> To: TWAIN-L <[log in to unmask]> >>>> Sent: Sun, Jul 21, 2019 11:59 am >>>> Subject: Re: Mark Twain's Library of Humor a mystery >>>> >>>> Just speculating here: >>>> >>>> I've found Max Adler's sketches on Mr Butterwick's gas bill and Mr. >>>> Butterwick counting sheep published in newspapers anonymously (and in >>>> some papers where it is credited to Adler). Editors sometimes played >>>> fast and loose with items they plucked from the exchange. Things get >>>> credited to Twain that he did not write, and snippets from Twain's >>>> published books often got reprinted under spurious titles, with and >>>> without sourcing. Texts get altered to suit local readershiops and >>>> authorships get misattributed or ignored. >>>> >>>> So, the text used in MTLB may have been taken from a newspaper, comic >>>> anthology, or magazine where it appeared without the authorship >>>> credited. I'm pretty certain Twain would have recognized Adler's >>>> authorship of any sketch having to do with Mr Butterwick, but he did not >>>> edit MTLB and may not have noticed the lack of attribution. >>>> >>>> I'd want to look at Gribben (MT's Library), MTP's online letters, >>>> N&J1-3, AMT1-3, Fears Day-by-Day online (but double-check his citations, >>>> and you may have to look under both the Ms and As in the index to find >>>> references to Adler), as well as a few other places. >>>> >>>> Kevin >>>> @ >>>> Mac Donnell Rare Books >>>> 9307 Glenlake Drive >>>> Austin TX 78730 >>>> 512-345-4139 >>>> Member: ABAA, ILAB, BSA >>>> >>>> You can browse our books at: >>>> www.macdonnellrarebooks.com >>>> >>>> >>>> ------ Original Message ------ >>>> From: "David Dussere" <[log in to unmask]> >>>> To: [log in to unmask] >>>> Sent: 7/20/2019 9:37:20 PM >>>> Subject: Mark Twain's Library of Humor a mystery >>>> >>>> Only one selection "Butterwick's Little Gas Bill" in MTLH is attributed >>>>> to anonymous. Why and what exactly was its source? Charles Heber Clark (Max >>>>> Adeler/John Quill) wrote the sketch, but the where and why are only a >>>>> speculation to me. I haven't done the needed research and would welcome any >>>>> comments on the Forum or at the conference in Hannibal.David Dussere >>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>> >