I came across this in the March 1996 issue of Guitar Player magazine, and thought it would be interesting to folks on this forum. Accompanying a photo of a somewhat beat-up old guitar was the following short item: "During the 1800s, small-body guitars like this Martin were called parlor guitars. However, the wear and tear on the face of this instrument suggests that it wasn't strummed lightly by some dandy in the comfort of a lavishly appointed sitting room. This Martin traveled from St. Louis, Missouri, to Northern California, and then was carried across the Panama Canal en route to New York City by none ther than Mark Twain. "Mr. Clemens obviously was a man of taste, as he chose one of the finest guitars available at the time. His guitar was built sometime in the 1840s by Christian Friedrich Martin, Sr., the man who started the Martin company. Twain must have bought the guitar second-hand to provide himself with entertainment before leaving on his journey to Angels Camp, California, in 1860, where he settled for several years at the cabin pictured in the background. [Several details wrong in this sentence, but then, it's a guitar magazine, not a Mark Twain magazine.] "Twain owned this guitar until his death in 1910, yet most historians are unaware that he was a guitarist. His use of this instrument during his travels shows that as far back as the 1860s the guitar was an important facet of America's cultural experience." I was impressed by this little note, because I'd never heard of Twain playing a guitar. I know he liked to sing spirituals and accompany himself on the piano, but this was something new to me. Maybe it will be to some of you, too. Bob Gill [log in to unmask]