Twain obviously loved to be the center of attention, but the Hartford
house is so immoderate, so unprecedented, so downright unabridged that
I've got to wonder . . . how involved was Twain in its design details?
Did he give Edward Potter only general requirements, or was he
meticulously intent on every specification?
 
I know he had the yard re-landscaped so the house could be better seen
from the street, so he truly wanted that ostentatious Hank Morgan
effect, but did he have a further effect in mind?
Is it possible that 351 Farmington is an architectural satire?
 
Chuck
 
 --God is not dead. A little drunk, maybe, but not dead.--