Cf. p. 164 of A Tramp in Berlin (2013) where `The Berlin Postal Service' 18 Jan 1892) is cited as a manuscript included in the microfilm edition of Twain's manuscripts published by MTP. There are lengthy quotes from the piece at pp. 97-100. 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: 1/5/2022 6:46:06 PM Subject: Re: Postal Service >See page 100 of Austilat’s book — A TRAMP IN BERLIN. I don’t have a copy at >hand but amazon has a preview with quotes about the Berlin Rohrpost system. >Perhaps Austilat references the sources of the quotes from that essay in >his bibliography. > >Barb > >On Wednesday, January 5, 2022, Wolfgang Hochbruck < >[log in to unmask]> wrote: > >> I would have surmised it was included in Andreas Austilat's 2013 >> edition _A Tramp in Berlin_, but not only is the essay itself not >> there, i can't even find a mention of it in the volume. >> >> best >> w >> >> On Wed, 5 Jan 2022 12:21:04 -0800 >> Scott Holmes <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >> >I recently came across a reference to an essay by Mark Twain entitled >> >"Postal Service". This was in a series of essays written by David >> >Graeber included in a book entitled "The Utopia of Rules". He >> >remarked "Mark Twain, who lived briefly in Berlin between 1891 and >> >1892, was so taken with it that he composed one of his only known >> >non-satirical essays, entitled “Postal Service,” just to celebrate its >> >wondrous efficiency.". This was in reference to the German postal >> >system. I have been unable to locate this essay by Twain. >> > >> >I'm casting about for interesting bits about Twain's dealing with >> >bureaucracies. I know there are far too many of them to deal with >> >this comprehensively but I do hope to catch the flavor. >> >> >> Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Hochbruck >> Dept. of English >> Centre for Security and Society >> Albert Ludwigs University Freiburg >> Rempart St. 15 >> D-79098 Freiburg >> Germany >> >