Table of Contents
Scope and Contents of the Collection
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Overview of the Collection |
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| Creator: | Twain, Mark, 1835-1910. |
| Title: | Mark Twain Collection |
| Inclusive Dates: | 1880-1903 |
| Quantity: | 1 folder (SC) |
| Abstract: | Three letters by and one photograph of author Mark Twain. |
| Language: | English |
| Repository: |
Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center |
Biographical History
Mark Twain (1835-1910) was the pseudonym of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, the American author and humorist. Twain's humorous short-stories and novels made him a hugely popular and beloved figure; one of the most significant writers of the nineteenth century.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The Mark Twain Collection contains three handwritten letters by Twain. The first letter is dated 10 Dec 1898 and is addressed to Frank Bliss, Twain's publisher with the American Publishing Company. In the letter, Twain discusses the publication of his book Following the Equator, complaining about the unfavorable arrangements Bliss had made with McClure's Magazine. He also discusses some photographs taken by Frank Warner of his Hartford, Connecticut home.
The second letter is dated 24 Feb 1902 and is addressed to "Mr. Powers," likely Rev. Levi Moore Powers, a Unitarian minister. In the letter, Twain discusses some Puerto Rican cigars he recently purchased and encloses a receipt, likely in reference to an earlier letter in which Powers tried to convince Twain to smoke better cigars.
The third letter is undated and addressed to Charlotte Teller, an American playwright and frequent correspondent of Twain. In the letter, Twain sarcastically expresses surprise that one of Teller's plays was not accepted for publication. There is a note in the top margin addressed to Twain's personal secretary, Isabel Van Kleeck Lyon, in which he explains that he never sent the letter, "but spewing it out relieved me." This dates the letter to between 1902 and 1909, when Lyon worked for Twain.
The collection also includes photocopies of five other Twain letters and fragments held by Special Collections Research Center and bound in copies of his books. These items span from 1880 to 1903 and include an original fragment of A Tramp Abroad and letters to Twain's publishers at Harper Brothers and Chatto and Windus.
The Collection also contains an undated photograph of Twain shaking hands with another man. The man is identified on the reverse as John T. Raymond, a New York actor who was known for his role in the stage version of Twain's Gilded Age.
Restrictions
Access Restrictions
The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.
Use Restrictions
Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.
Subject Headings
Persons
Subjects
Genres and Forms
Occupations
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
Mark Twain Collection,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
Finding Aid Information
Created by: LMD
Date: 3 Feb 2010
Revision history:
Inventory
| Correspondence | |||||||||||
| SC 380 | 1898, 1902, undated | ||||||||||
| SC 380 | 1889, 1894, 1895, 1903, undated - Photocopies of letters bound in books | ||||||||||
| Photographs | |||||||||||
| SC 380 | Undated - Mark Twain and John T. Raymond | ||||||||||