Vol 3 Section 0135

An anti-Semitic cartoon featuring Mark Twain ran in this day’s issue of Kikeriki!, “Mark Twain seeks material in Vienna for new stories” [Dolmetsch 169].

A Pen and ink portrait of Mark Twain by Adolf Gelber appeared with a facsimile of Sam’s Oct. 8 handwritten aphorism [Dolmetsch 53].

In the Boston Globe, a long article, “Mark Twain’s New Book,” ran on p. 36, and included a few excerpt from FE.

October 11 Monday – The ledger books of Chatto & Windus show that 1,500 additional copies of CY were printed , totaling 32,500 [Welland 236].

October 12 Tuesday – John G. Kreer (“U.S.A.”), S. Von Armon (S.F. Cal. U.S.A.”), F. Goldschmidt, L. E. Schlemm (“N.Y. U.S.A.”), and Hugo Viewega (“Hannover”) each signed a picture postcard to Sam. The text of the card, in German, appears to be the same hand as Viewega’s. The card pictures Marktkirche – Altes Rathhaus, and Liebniz – Haus in Hannover. The translation: “To the peoples’ favorite humorist, who lies sick in Vienna, a group of Americans and Germans, sitting together over a glass of wine, send cordial greetings and best wishes for a speedy recovery” [MTP]. Note: thanks to Holger Kersten for the translation.

October 13 Wednesday – At the Metropole Hotel, Vienna, Austria, Sam wrote to J. Henry Harper asking for a copy of JA to be “bound in a style proper to a personage of such exalted degree” for Queen Victoria’s granddaughter (daughter of Empress Frederick). The lady had been to Vienna and told Sam she’d read the book three times and given her copy to a girls’ school which she founded. Sam closed with,

“You ought to see some of these newspaper interviews, wherein they make me talk German—which I won’t do. My German is bad, but not THAT bad” [MTP].

Note: Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa (1840–1901) eldest daughter of Queen Victoria was called Empress Frederick after the death of her husband, the Emperor Frederick. They had eight children, including four girls: Charlotte, Victoria, Sophie, and Margaret. Just which of these was the lady Sam spoke of is not clear.

October 14 Thursday – At the Metropole Hotel, Vienna, Austria, Livy wrote for her husband to Eduard Pötzl. Sam was “pressed for time,” so Livy wrote to say they were sorry Eduard had a cold. She added Sam would not be able to write anything for the Vienna newspapers as he had promised so much to American publishers. She accepted his invitation for her daughters to see the Carnival under his auspices [MTP]. Note: he replied the next day.

Sam inscribed one of the Alfred Ellis photographs of himself to daughter Jean: “To Jean Clemens, this starchy but justifiable & very commendable exaggeration of her Papa’s aspect is most lovingly presented by der Hochwohlgeborener Mark Twain, Vienna, Oct. 14” [Sotheby’s Apr. 13, 2004, Sale N07980 Lot 25].

SLC used mourning border for most letters from Susy’s death on, then from Livy’s death on.