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Welcome to one of the oldest-established Mark
Twain sites on the World Wide Web.
This site was created (in 1995!) to offer some little-known sidelights to
anyone who shares my affection for and interest in America's most
beloved author, Mark Twain. It includes articles, notices, a quotation
collection (contributions freely invited), and links to the best Twain
websites. Though it seems, alas, to be perpetually under construction,
we do have several goodies (at left) you won’t find anywhere else. Try
some!
I got into Twain fairly young. When I was eight or nine my mother, a
journalist, came home from an auction with a carton of Twain's
collected works.
Like many of you, I suspect, I opened his books, jumped in, and never
really got out again. I also suspect that, as Twain warned, early
exposure to his work has probably impaired my morals, but it has
certainly sharpened my sense of humor. Fair trade.
My interest in (obsession with?) Mark Twain's life and work has led to
several projects that seem to have given pleasure to many folks over
the years, including:
For several years I was on the governing board of the late lamented
Mark Twain Association of New York, which expired in 1998, not long
after celebrating its seventy-second birthday. I have been attempting to
reincarnate the idea through a successor organization, tentatively
dubbed The Mark Twain Circle of New York.
For information on any of these, use the links at the left, or contact me
via email.
Happy hunting!
Twain sites on the World Wide Web.
This site was created (in 1995!) to offer some little-known sidelights to
anyone who shares my affection for and interest in America's most
beloved author, Mark Twain. It includes articles, notices, a quotation
collection (contributions freely invited), and links to the best Twain
websites. Though it seems, alas, to be perpetually under construction,
we do have several goodies (at left) you won’t find anywhere else. Try
some!
I got into Twain fairly young. When I was eight or nine my mother, a
journalist, came home from an auction with a carton of Twain's
collected works.
Like many of you, I suspect, I opened his books, jumped in, and never
really got out again. I also suspect that, as Twain warned, early
exposure to his work has probably impaired my morals, but it has
certainly sharpened my sense of humor. Fair trade.
My interest in (obsession with?) Mark Twain's life and work has led to
several projects that seem to have given pleasure to many folks over
the years, including:
- A musical program, "’Better Than It Sounds’ -- Mark Twain’s
Life of Music,” that has been performed by invitation at the
Algonquin Hotel in New York, the Mark Twain Library in
Redding, Connecticut, and in the historic Great Hall at Cooper
Union, on the same stage where Twain made his East Coast
speaking debut;
- Several articles: "Mark Twain, Belle of New York," written for
Twain’s 150th birthday and highlighting Twain's many links
with my favorite city; “Is Huck Finn Racist?” (my answer is no);
and ”Mark Twain and Walt Whitman,” a commemorative
paper written for the Centennial of Whitman’s death;
- An annual "Mark Twain's New York" walking tour of Twain-
related landmarks in lower Manhattan
- I also had the great pleasure of presenting an paper (an
article, really) at the Fifth International Symposium on the State
of Mark Twain Studies at Elmira College in August 2005. Called
“Don’t Forget the Gentians!”, it is based on a recently
discovered trove of Clemens family letters, and casts new light
on the family’s fateful visit to York Harbor, Maine in the summer
of 1902.
For several years I was on the governing board of the late lamented
Mark Twain Association of New York, which expired in 1998, not long
after celebrating its seventy-second birthday. I have been attempting to
reincarnate the idea through a successor organization, tentatively
dubbed The Mark Twain Circle of New York.
For information on any of these, use the links at the left, or contact me
via email.
Happy hunting!
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| Salwen Business Communications New York, NY 10024 212/873-1944 contact SBC. |
Click on highlighted links to examine documents
"A Private Word", two-page note
attributed to Mark Twain, August 1902.
attributed to Mark Twain, August 1902.
Letters written by Jean Clemens and
Susan Crane in 1902-03 to Millard and
Grace Sewall, the Clemens' recent
hosts York Harbor, Maine.
Susan Crane in 1902-03 to Millard and
Grace Sewall, the Clemens' recent
hosts York Harbor, Maine.
Jean Clemens to Millard Sewell, Oct. 16, 1902
Jean Clemens to Grace Sewall, Oct. 23, 1902
Susan Crane to Grace Sewall, Oct. 31, 1902
Jean Clemens to Grace Sewall, Nov. 11, 1902
Jean Clemens to Millard Sewall, Dec. 16, 1902
Jean Clemens to Grace Sewall, Feb. 16, 1902
Susan Crane to Grace Sewall, Sept. 28, 1903
Jean Clemens to Grace Sewall, Oct. 23, 1902
Susan Crane to Grace Sewall, Oct. 31, 1902
Jean Clemens to Grace Sewall, Nov. 11, 1902
Jean Clemens to Millard Sewall, Dec. 16, 1902
Jean Clemens to Grace Sewall, Feb. 16, 1902
Susan Crane to Grace Sewall, Sept. 28, 1903
| 5 Photos taken by Jean Clemens at Wave Hill (the Clemens' Riverdale, NY home) and Quarry Farm, Elmira. |
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