Mark Twain's Notebooks and Journals, Volume III: 1883-1891Volume III of Mark Twain's notebooks spans the years 1883 to 1891, a period during which Mark Twain's personal fortunes reached their zenith, as he emerged as one of the most successful authors and publishers in American literary history. During these years Life on the Mississippi, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and a Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court appeared, revealing the diversity, depth, and vitality of Mark Twain's literary talents. With his speeches, his public performances, and his lecture tour of 1884/1885, he became the most recognizable of national figures. At the same time, Mark Twain's growing fame and prosperity allowed him to plunge deeply into the business world, a sphere not suited to his erratic energies. He created the subscription publish firm of Charles L. Webster & Company, Which published the most profitable book of its time, the Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant. And he became the primary financial support for the ingenious but imperfectible Paige typesetter. Within a few years both the publishing company and the typesetter had taxed Mark Twain's patience, and pocket, beyond endurance. The near bankruptcy of the publishing firm and the debacle of the typesetter scheme finally resulted in 1891 in a drastic decision--to leave the house in Hartford, Connecticut, which had long been the symbol of Mark Twain's rising fortunes and idyllic family life, and move to Europe for an indefinite period in the hope of reducing the family's living expenses. The Clemens family would never return to the Hartford house, and the European stay would lengthen into an almost unbroken nine years of exile. Mark Twain's notebooks permit an intimate view of this turbulent period, whose triumphs were tempered by intimations of financial disaster and personal bitterness. |
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Mark Twain's Notebooks & Journals, Volume II (1877-1883): The Mark Twain papers Mark Twain No preview available - 1976 |
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added later Albert Bigelow Paine American American Copyright League anecdote appears April August black pencil blank Boston Brander Matthews brownish black ink Cable canceled caret Century Charles Clemens evidently Clemens family Clemens wrote Club Connecticut Yankee contract copy December dollars Doubtful Readings Elmira English February Fred Hall George Gerhardt Grant Memoirs Hall Hamersley Hartford Henry hour Howells Huckleberry Finn intended interlined James January John July June Laffan Langdon letter Livy machine manuscript March Mark Twain Mergenthaler months MTBus MTHL MTLP notebook entry November October originally Osgood Paige typesetter paper play possibly probably published purple pencil Quarry Farm Richard Watson Gilder royalty sell Send September speech story top margin Tramp Abroad underlined twice Webster & Company week Whitmore William William Dean Howells words write written in black written in brownish written lengthwise wrote to Clemens York City