May 22 Saturday – At 23 Tedworth Square in London, Sam replied to H.S.W. Edwardes (whose request is not extant). Sam was a hermit and did not go out, but thanked Edwardes “all the same” [MTP].

Note: Sam did go out, but chose his times, places, and persons selectively.

Sam also wrote to Elliott & Fry, a Victorian photography studio founded in 1863 by Joseph J. Elliott (1835 -1903) and Clarence Fry (1840-1897) Their main business was photography of well known figures from all walks of life, including Darwin, Tennyson, Gladstone, and others. Sam chose No. 1 of three proofs he had taken there, date unknown. The firm survives today [MTP].

The Hartford Courant reported on p.3 “Manuscript of Mark Twain’s New Book”:

F.E. Bliss, president of the American Publishing Co. sails on the Campania to-day for London. He expects to return soon with the manuscript of Mark Twain’s new book, which is now finished.

Note: the passage was about eight days, so Bliss arrived in London about May 30. The NY Times, July 10, 1897 “Mark Twain’s New Book” p.RBA1, reported Bliss spent ten days with Twain, and returned to Hartford “a week ago.”