February 23 Friday – James Redpath was in Hartford at the Allyn House and Sam sent him a note. They probably had breakfast together. By noon Sam had left for New York City [MTL 5: 47n1].

Sam gave a dinner speech for the publishers of the Aldine, at the St. James Hotel, New York City. The Aldine was an illustrated literary magazine. The speech is published in Mark Twain Speaking, pp. 65-68 [MTL 5: .47n1 gives sources for other texts]. The dinner was for about 50 guests, mostly publishers and printers from Boston, New York and Philadelphia. See citation for many in attendance. Vice-President Schuyler Colfax officiated. Sam’s speech was his story of “Jim Wolf and the Tom-Cats,” and brought loud laughter. Sam stayed at the St. James and was back at home in Hartford by Feb. 26.

The first known review of RI ran in the Utica (N.Y.) Morning Herald and Gazette, p.1 under “Literary Matters / New Books” and mostly quotes Sam:

There is no doubt that this book will find thousands of readers, and that it will afford them all amusement. There is also, as the author observes, “information in the volume.” He adds, in his funniest strain: “Yes, take it all around, there is quite a good deal of information in the book. I regret this very much; but really it could not be helped. Information appears to stew out of me naturally, like the ottar of roses out of the otter. Sometimes it has seemed to me that I would give worlds if I could retain my facts; but it can not be. The more I caulk up the sources, and the tighter I get, the more I leak wisdom” [Budd, Reviews 99-100].