December 1 Tuesday – Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant, Vol. 1 was officially published [MTNJ 3: 210n81]. Note: Powers [504] and Perry [233] each give the publication date as Dec. 10. However, the Library of America edition of Grant’s Memoirs gives these statistics: “The first volume was published December 1, 1885, in five bindings: cloth at $7.00 a set; sheep, $9.00; half-morocco, $11.00; full-morocco, $18.00; and tree calf, $25.00.”

If the “official” date was Dec. 10, Sam jumped the gun on early copies out, for he inscribed a copy of volume 1 to A. Reasoner: “To Mr. A. Reasoner / with the kindest regards of / S.L. Clemens / New York, Dec. 1, 1885” [MTP]. Note: Howells also praised its success on Dec. 5 in a letter to Sam (see entry).

Along with a copy of Grant’s Memoirs given to Mr. A. Reasoner of the Delaware, Lackawana and Western R.R., Sam had also given “an order to send Gen Grant’s book to Griffith, …and Billings” of the R.R. [Nov. 2 to Webster]. The inscription to Reasoner is listed herein. The inscription and two volume set to Mr. Griffith appeared for sale (Oct. 3, 2009) on AbeBooks.com by the bookseller, Somewhere In Time, inventory # 684F. The inscription reads, “To Mr. Griffith, with the kindest regards of S.L. Clemens, New York, Dec. 1, 1885.” The volumes sent Mr. Billings are not extant.

Note: [MTNJ 3:198n51] has Sam in Baltimore to see Ross Winans about the Paige typesetter, but several letters by Sam from New York City and no other reference to a Baltimore trip would suggest Sam either stopped there on his recent Washington, D.C trip to see President Cleveland, or Winans was in New York on Dec. 1.

John R. Young wrote birthday wishes [MTP].

Oliver W. Holmes wrote, “so glad” Sam was pleased with his “little vases” (Holmes to Gilder Nov. 23 enclosed [MTP].