Mark Twain Archive
June 14, 2010
A Little Twain For Flag Day
Mark Twain sent this letter to the Hartford Flag Committee, [Elmira], N. Y., Sept. 8, 1879. Gentlemen of the Committee— Out of the poverty left on hand by an interminable European trip, I very gladly put up the enclosed $25...Read all of "A Little Twain For Flag Day"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:19 PM
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May 24, 2010
UC Berkeley To Publish Mark Twain’s Autobiography
The Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley houses the manuscript(s) for this work. They will release the first of three planned volumes in November. As The Independent says, The creator of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn and some of the most frequently...Read all of "UC Berkeley To Publish Mark Twain’s Autobiography "
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:55 AM
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May 9, 2010
On Motive, Moral and Plot
Mark Twain posted the following warning among the front matter of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, PERSONS attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting...Read all of "On Motive, Moral and Plot"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:58 PM
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May 3, 2010
America’s Criminal Class
Mark Twain famously wrote, “It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress.” Well, if James A. Traficant Jr. gets (re)elected to Congress the support for Twain’s contention will...Read all of "America’s Criminal Class"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:51 PM
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April 21, 2010
Mark Twain: How To Celebrate?
Today marks the 100th anniversary of Mark Twain’s death. To celebrate you might want to read one of the many recent articles about his life and impact. Here is but a small sampling. 100 years after his death, Mark Twain's...Read all of "Mark Twain: How To Celebrate?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:07 AM
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April 19, 2010
Twain As A “Marginal” Literary Critic
Yesterday I mentioned Mark Twain as poet. Even more than a poet, Twain was a literary critic. The New York Times has a nice piece by Alison Leigh Cowan, “Scrawled in the Margins, Signs of Twain as a Critic.” Kevin...Read all of "Twain As A “Marginal” Literary Critic"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:14 AM
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April 18, 2010
If You Prove Right and I Prove Wrong
A poem on the afterlife in anticipation of the 100th anniversary of Mark Twain’s death: Mark Twain and his friend, Julia (Mrs. Thomas K.) Beecher, had a dispute about the afterlife. Julia Beecher was the wife of the clergyman who...Read all of "If You Prove Right and I Prove Wrong"
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:10 AM
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April 2, 2010
Mark Twain Playing Around
The Bancroft Library has an online exhibit, “Mark Twain at Play.” As the exhibit’s home page says, Mark Twain was a hardworking and prolific writer, but how did he spend his time when the "bread-and-butter element" was put aside and...Read all of "Mark Twain Playing Around"
Posted by Duane Smith at 12:20 PM
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March 19, 2010
Resources For Mark Twain's Journal Publications
As was common at the time, Mark Twain published much of his work, including whole novels, in journals like the Atlantic Monthly, the Saturday Evening Post, or The North American Review. Terry Ballard has reposted and expanded his collection of...Read all of "Resources For Mark Twain's Journal Publications"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:25 PM
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February 18, 2010
Happy Birthday Huckleberry Finn
Well, happy US publication day to Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. As generally reckoned, February 18, 1885, one hundred twenty five years ago today, Charles L. Webster and Company issued the US publication of what some consider Mark Twain’s finest work....Read all of "Happy Birthday Huckleberry Finn"
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:20 AM
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January 25, 2010
Profaning A Name
I sometimes kid around about swearing but no one did it as well a Mark Twain. I mean no one kidded about swearing as well as Mark Twain. I also think he was very skilled in the noble craft itself....Read all of "Profaning A Name"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:08 PM
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January 18, 2010
Twain Didn't Have Much To Say About Babylonia Or Assyria
When I'm not wasting my time with other things, I'm plugging away at my Babylonian Prayer allocation. Recently, I submitted the draft of my first effort. Alan Lenzi, editor in chief, made a few thousand, hundred, dozen comments that I'm...Read all of "Twain Didn't Have Much To Say About Babylonia Or Assyria"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:16 PM
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December 24, 2009
A Journey To Bethlehem
On this day before Christmas, I thought I'd share Mark Twain's report of his visit to Bethlehem. He and a group of other innocents visited Bethlehem on (or about) September 27, 1867. Without more work than this post requires, I...Read all of "A Journey To Bethlehem"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:45 AM
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December 17, 2009
Who Is This Guy and Where Did He Get His Name?
Rambler W. Epaminandos Adrastus Blab also abbreviated W. E. A. B. W (= W. Epaminandos Adrastus Blab?) Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass Sergeant Fathom Josh Sieur Louis de Conte Oh yeah, I almost forgot, Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens used all these...Read all of "Who Is This Guy and Where Did He Get His Name?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:39 PM
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November 30, 2009
Mark Twain's America
If you need an extra helping of Mark Twain biography today, check out Terry Ballard's "Mark Twain's America" at Google Maps. Via the Mark Twain Forum....Read all of "Mark Twain's America"
Posted by Duane Smith at 12:21 PM
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Happy Birthday - Mark Twain
Actually, today marks Samuel Langhorne Clemens' birthday. Clemens was born on November 30, 1835 in Florida, Missouri. Mark Twain was born couple of decades later (February 3, 1863 as far as anyone knows) in Carson City, The Territory of Nevada....Read all of "Happy Birthday - Mark Twain"
Posted by Duane Smith at 11:45 AM
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September 24, 2009
What To Do About The Petrified
Earlier this evening I was thinking about the issue of narrative distance in literature in general, and in Mark Twain's Joan of Arc and Plato's Phaedo in particular. I was interested to see if Twain ever mentioned Plato's Phaedo. So...Read all of "What To Do About The Petrified"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:43 PM
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August 14, 2009
Why Study Mark Twain?
Mark Twain scholars met last week at Elmira College in New York for The Sixth International Conference on The State of Mark Twain Studies. John Bird, one of their number, ambushed (his word) several other attendees and asked them why...Read all of "Why Study Mark Twain?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 3:26 PM
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July 22, 2009
Twainical Archaeology
I was looking around for some abnormal archaeological doings when I found that archaeologists were digging in Mark Twain's old stomping grounds, indeed a place where he lectured a couple of times, Thomas Maguire's Opera House in Virginia City. “Maguire...Read all of "Twainical Archaeology"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:59 PM
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July 21, 2009
On Becoming A Criminal
Peter Salwen pointed out his 2005 piece on a few letters from Mark Twain's daughter, Jean Clemens, and his sister-in-law, Susan Crane, to Millard Sewall and his daughter Grace. First Samuel and then his whole family had rented rooms in...Read all of "On Becoming A Criminal"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:53 PM
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July 4, 2009
Mark Twain On Patriotism
A few select quotations presented without comment or context. Well, without much comment or context. Man is the only Patriot. He sets himself apart in his own country, under his own flag, and sneers at the other nations, and keeps...Read all of "Mark Twain On Patriotism"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:41 AM
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June 9, 2009
Just What I Always Wanted
Over at the Mark Twain Forum someone asked if Mark Twain had any patented inventions. The answer, "yes," came rather quickly. The claim was that he had four patents but I think there were only three: # 121,992, filed December...Read all of "Just What I Always Wanted"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:44 AM
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May 30, 2009
A Boring Post On Mark Twain and Joan of Arc
It started as an observation about Mark Twain's view on torture. He was against it. And it quickly morphed into a discussion of the literary value of his Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc. Most of those who addressed the...Read all of "A Boring Post On Mark Twain and Joan of Arc"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:34 PM
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May 15, 2009
On Dining At The Twains'
Due in part to his success as an author and humorist and in part to his success in marriage, Mark Twain lived most of his life as an affluent New Englander. The Hartford Courant has a nice little piece on...Read all of "On Dining At The Twains' "
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:41 PM
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February 2, 2009
The Mark Twain Project
One of my abnormal interests is Mark Twain. I don't write about him all that much because even pretending to keep up with the secondary literature in any one field is nearly impossible and I have recently focused more on...Read all of "The Mark Twain Project"
Posted by Duane Smith at 3:22 PM | TrackBack (0) | Abnormal Archive Link |
January 5, 2009
Mark Twain at Stormfield, the Film
Sunday evening I read long neglected (by me) threads from the Mark Twain Forum. Much of the discussion was on a YouTube film clip of Twain and two women at Stormfield in 1909. One of the women, the one on...Read all of "Mark Twain at Stormfield, the Film"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:03 AM | TrackBack (0) | Abnormal Archive Link |
July 14, 2008
Mark Twain Loafed Here
Mark Twain stayed at the Mediterranean Hotel in Jerusalem, arriving on the afternoon of September 23, 1876 and checking out for the last time on September 29. Concerning his first afternoon in Jerusalem, Twain noted, "Loafed all afternoon in the...Read all of "Mark Twain Loafed Here"
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:05 AM
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July 4, 2008
Rational Patriotism
Mark Twain wrote, Remember this, take it to heart, live by it, die for it if necessary: that our patriotism is medieval, outworn, obsolete; that the modern patriotism, the true patriotism, the only rational patriotism, is loyalty to the Nation...Read all of "Rational Patriotism"
Posted by Duane Smith at 12:26 PM
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February 26, 2008
Michelle Obama Meet Mark Twain
This is a little belated and a somewhat off target but some of you may find it interesting. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edward Bok once interviewed Mark Twain and, being interested in accuracy, sent a copy of his report of the...Read all of "Michelle Obama Meet Mark Twain"
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November 30, 2007
Happy Birthday, Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born in Florida, Missouri, on November 30, 1835. That makes him 172 years old today. Well, it would have made him 172 if he hadn't died in 1910. Thank you old Mark; you still make us...Read all of "Happy Birthday, Mark Twain"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:19 PM | TrackBack (0) | Abnormal Archive Link |
Titles Only From Here On
November 1, 2007
Mark Twain on Waterboarding
September 29, 2007
Mark Twain on One of My Abnormal Interests
September 27, 2007
Mark Twain, The Sea of Galilee and Lake Tahoe
July 21, 2007
Mark Twain on Horses and Mules
February 16, 2007
I Don't Seem to Meet the Minimum Qualifications
February 2, 2007
On the Theology of Swearing
December 18, 2006
Did Mark Twain Really Say This?
September 3, 2006
Thrice Scooped on Rediscovering Homer
May 12, 2006
The Report of the Quotation is an Exaggeration
March 22, 2006
Twain on Peace of Mind
February 28, 2006
If it Sounds Like That I Will Never Do it Again!
February 24, 2006
How did Mark Twain Sound When He Swore?
January 8, 2006
Quote Mining and Me
June 18, 2005
The Folly of Another Person's Religion
April 12, 2005
Did Mark Twain Use Pot or Hash?
March 26, 2005
Mark Twain on the Bible
March 8, 2005
The Ethics of Indifference
March 2, 2005
Mark Twain in Bermuda