13 October 1870 • Buffalo, N.Y. (MS: MB, UCCL 00511)
I have a notion to let the Galaxy publishers2explanatory note have a volume of old sketches for a “Mark Twain’s Annual—1871”—provided they will pay me about 25 per cent. That is what Ⓐemendation they offered once, I believe. My idea is to use in this, among other things, some few sketches which will not “keep” I believe a Christmas volume will out-pay Josh Billings’ Allminax.3explanatory note What do you think? Write me at once—& don’t discourage me.4explanatory note
Did that scalawag of a boy of yours trot through here the other day? We found a card of the firm, with his name underscored, & guessed he had stopped at the office. However, he we were at Fredonia, N. Y., all the week & so if he was here we couldn’t have seen him. I never once thought of Frank’s being absurd enough to take upon himself one of those ghastly tortures called a “bridal trip,” else we would have grieved to think we couldn’t entertain the couple a few days5explanatory note—for the young lady was very low then & we couldn’t have made room—(she died on the 29th in our bedroom—perhaps I wrote you.)
I am driveling along tolerably fairly on the book—getting off from 12 to 20 M Ⓐemendation pages (MS.) a day. I am writing it so carefully that I’ll never have to alter a sentence, I guess, but it is very slow work. I like it well, as far as I have got. The pep people Ⓐemendation will read it.
letter docketed: ✓ and Mark Twain | Oct 13/70. | Author
Clemens again used a sheet of Emma Nye’s stationery, as he had done on 9 September in writing to Orion Clemens.
Isaac E. Sheldon and Company, of New York.
Henry Wheeler Shaw (Josh Billings) published Josh Billings’ Farmer’s Allminax for the Year 1870 (New York: George W. Carleton), the first of ten comic annuals, in October 1869. On 14 February 1870 Shaw wrote Clemens: “The ‘Allmanax’ has about given up its ghost, but sold 80 thousand. = For such a trifling affair, its success came near ravishing me. =” (CU-MARK). Other reports indicated that it sold 90,000 copies within three months, one-third of them in the first week after publication ( L3 , 397 n. 3). On 11 October 1870 the Buffalo Courier reported on advance sales for the second year’s version: “Of Josh Billing’s Farmers Alminax for 1871, Carleton, the publisher, has received a single order for 100,000 copies—the largest number ever sold, at one time, of any work in this country” (“Literary,” 1).
MS, Boston Public Library and Eastern Massachusetts Regional Public Library System, Boston (MB).
L4 , 209–210; MTB , 1:422, brief excerpt; AAA/Anderson 1934, lot 123, excerpts; AAA/Anderson 1936, lot 122, excerpts; MTMF , 139 n. 2, brief excerpt; MTLP , 40–41.
The MS evidently remained among the American Publishing Company’s files until it was sold (and was copied, possibly at that time, by Dana Ayer, though the present location of his transcription is not known; see Brownell Collection in Description of Provenance). The MS was sold again in 1934 and in 1936. On 11 April 1939 it was signed and dated by Josiah H. Benton.
More information on provenance may be found in Description of Provenanceclick to open link.