July 30 Thursday – In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to daughter Clara.

I place with this a copy of a letter of today’s date which I have just written to Colonel Harvey.

I have given you all letters of mine now obtainable. You have full authority over them. Paine’s extracts will be judiciously made but that mass should not exceed the limit of 6,000 words per volume. You will be able—if necessary—to enforce this, by injunction. Decisions of English courts have established the principle that private letters cannot be published without the consent of the writer of them or of his heirs & assigns.

Pond gave a lot of my letters to that bogus relative, Will M. Clemens, but by threat of an injunction I stopped his publisher (Bobbs Merrill) from issuing them. / Lovingly / Father [MTP].

Sam also wrote to Joe Goodman.

Dear Joe: / I have authorized Clara & Miss Lyon to edit & publish a volume or so of my letters —but not in my lifetime. If you have any of my letters will you send them to me so that I can have copies made? They would be returned to you or destroyed, according to your pleasure.

I like this house, Joe. I have occupied it 40 days, & this seems test enough. I am not likely to go back to New York or elsewhere. It is isolated, & not very close to anything & not very easy to get at. But in a way these seeming defects are an advantage. Indeed a very large advantage: in these 40 days no stranger with an axe to grind has called; & so 80 visits—usually of an empty & futile character—have been escaped. I shall stay here, I am sure. I wish you were here & would try it a month or two with me. If you come east, give me a chance, you will not find it dull here.

Clara is in Europe, but will come home in September. Jean goes to Europe in October. / With love / Mark [MTP].

Sam also wrote to George B. Harvey.

Dear Colonel Harvey: /  I do not want Paine’s biography of me to contain many letters or other original matter of mine—there must be a limit. His book must be a Biography, not an Autobiography: I am preparing the latter myself. His purpose is to merely use extracts, not whole letters, but even in that case I want a limit. And so I ask you to make the limit 6,000 words per volume of his book.

I also ask that Galley-proofs shall be sent to Clara, so that she can edit the extracts, & suppress such parts of them as she is not willing to see printed. / Sincerely Yours … [MTP].

Jervis Langdon II for Charles J. Langdon wrote from Elmira, NY to advise Sam his father had just paid the taxes on the Genesee Street Property in Buffalo of $766.93, of which one third, $255.64 was Sam’s share [MTP].