November 5 Friday – In Hartford Sam wrote to Elisha Bliss with several requests. Sam approved of True Williams receiving the manuscript to draw the pictures for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer as he had done for Innocents and Sketches, New and Old. Howells had been given a security copy. Sam wanted Dan De Quille’s book “rushed into print by New Year’s, if possible, & give Tom Sawyer the early sprint market.” (The Big Bonanza wasn’t published until July 1876, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer until Dec. 1876.) Sam had received an offer from Routledge for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, which he would turn down in favor of Chatto & Windus, who printed The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in June 1876, six months ahead of the U.S. version. Sam also followed up on the “smouched” paragraph from “Hospital Days” which was taken from “Miss Woolsey’s charming book,” and not Sam’s authorship. Sam also wanted the stories not used in Sketches, so as not to lose them.

“Frank [Elisha’s son] said he would send the infernal Type-Writer to Howells. I hope he won’t forget to inflict Howells with it” [MTL 6: 585-6].

In Cambridge, Mass., Howells wrote to Sam, enclosing a clipping (see cited source for text):

“The type-writer came Wednesday night, and is already being to have its effect on me. Of course it doesn’t work: if I can persuade some of the letters to get up against the ribbon they wont get down again without digital assistance….I hope to get at the story [The Adventures of Tom Sawyer] on Sunday” [MTHL 1: 109-10].